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The August Stories. 

©reter of ti\e Velia:K\es. 

1st. August and Elvie. 

2d. Hunter and Tom. 

3d. The Schooner Mary Ann. 

4th. Granville Valley. 



♦ 



* 






JACOB ABBOTT. 


yOLUME y'OUF^TH. 





NEW YORK : 

Dodd & Mead, 762 Broadway. 





THE AUGUST STORIES . 


Granville valley. 

« 


BY 

JACOB ABBOTT, 

AUTHOR OF THE 11 JUNO STORIES,” “ THE ROLLO BOOKS,” ETO. 


NEW YORK: 

Dodd & Mead, No. 762, Broadway. 


Guf 

Z. 


Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1872, by 
JACOB ABBOTT, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 




CONTENTS 


Plans Formed. . . 

page 

I. 

9 

Instructions 

II. 

22 


III. 

The Journey 

34 


IV. 

The Arrival 

51 

Johnny 

V. 

64 

Up the Valley. . 

VI. 

83 


VII. 

Deacon Justin’s.. 

104 


VIII. 

Gaining Information 119 



IX. 

Plan of Study. . . 

135 

Correspondence . 

X. 

15^ 


8 


CONTENTS. 


XI. 

Going to Housekeeping 171 

XII. 

The Art of Adding is2 

XIII. 

Glad of an Excuse 196 

XIV. 

Study Hours 212 

XY. 

Getting Settled 224 

XYI. 

Memory Failing 236 

XVII. 

Going into the Woods 253 

XVIII. 

The Camp ................. 268 

XIX. 

Frying Maple Sugar Cakes 290 

XX. 

Fan’s Composition. 308 

XXI. 

Two Silly Fellows 316 

XXII. 

Conclusion „ * 332 


G RANVILLE Valley. 


CHAPTER I. 

Plans Formed . 

rpHE place which, in this book, is called 

Granville Valley is among the Green 

Mountains in Vermont, though it is not known 

there by that name. The way in which it 

happened that Elvie went with August to spend 

a large part of the winter there was as follows. 

He had been in early life quite slender in 

form, and somewhat feeble in constitution, but 

he had improved so much in health and strength 

since he had been under August’s care, and his 

( 9 ) 


10 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


thinking and reasoning powers had been so far 
developed by August’s management, and by the 
influence which he exerted over him in various 
ways, that his father began to think it was time 
for him to prepare for his going to school and 
commencing the regular study of books. 

So he consulted the physician on the subject. 

The physician after a careful examination of 
the case said that he should prefer to wait a few 
months longer before putting the boy to the 
regular routine of school duties, but if some 
arrangement could be made by which he could 
employ one or two hours each day in studying 
from books, and devote the rest of the time to 
outdoor exercise of some kind that was con- 
nected with amusement, he thought it would be 
a very safe and advantageous arrangement. 

“ The truth is,” said he, “ that six hour^’ con- 
finement a day, which is the ordinary usage at 
school — with lessons too, perhaps, to learn in 


PLANS FORMED. 


II 


the evening besides — is too much in my opinion 
for children, while they are growing, and their 
powers and faculties are consequently in the 
process of development and formation. 

“ I don’t think,” he added, “ that they ought 
to study more than half that time, and not even 
so much as that, unless they are specially 
interested in the studies and like the work'.' 

“Does that make much difference?” asked 
Mr. Grant. 

“ Oh yes,” said the physician, “ a great deal of 
difference. If children are interested in what 
they are doing, and pleased with the progress 
they make, the effort does not bring, by any 
means, so great a strain upon the brain and the 
nervous system, as when the work is irksome to 
them, and they are held to it by some sense of 
obligation.” 

“The children often become extremely in- 
terested in their school, I am told,” said Mr. 


12 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


Grant, — “ at least so some of my friends inform 
me — and yet this does not always prevent 
injury to their health. Indeed one of my friends 
found that his daughter was becoming pale and 
thin, and could not sleep well at night ; and he 
attributed it to the extreme interest she felt in 
her lessons, and the solicitude and anxiety of 
mind it brought with it.” 

“ Exactly,” said the physician. “ But that 
was probably not interest in the studies them- 
selves, or pleasure in making progress in them, 
but solicitude about the marks or prizes to be 
earned, or ambition in respect to her standing in 
the class, or something of that kind. A girl 
may be urged to exert herself beyond her 
strength in performing irksome and injurious 
brain-work from fear of losing her place in her 
class, as well as from fear of any other kind o/ 
punishment or privation. And so she may be 
allured to go on in doing what she is too tired to 


PLANS FORMED. 1 3 

do with pleasure, and what is really injuring 
her, by hope of advancement or of a prize, — 
just as she might be induced to continue such 
work by the promise of a ride or a new dress, or 
any other reward. All this is very different 
from interest in the studies themselves, and 
pleasure in the pursuit of them. So long as 
children are not urged on by extraneous induce- 
ments of any kind, but are governed simply by 
the interest they feel in what they are doing, 
and the pleasure they derive from the doing of 
it, we are pretty safe in allowing them to 
go on. * 

“ I should think therefore,” said the doctor in 
* conclusion, “that it would be better for this 
winter if you could make some arrangement by 
which Elvie could go on with his studies for an 
hour or two every day, under some such 
guidance as that of this young August, who I 

understand from your account of him seems to 
2 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


H 

have the knack of interesting him in the work 
itself.” 

“Yes,” said Mr. Grant. “The boy seems 
really to have that knack.” 

“ It will be tolerably safe,” said the doctor, 
“ for Elvie to do all that he really likes to do , on 
its own account ; and then perhaps next spring or 
summer he can try going to school regularly, 
and having some pressure of obligation put upon 
him.” 

Mr. Grant asked the doctor, moreover, whether 
he would recommend his sending Elvie to a 
warmer climate during the winter, provided that 
he could make an arrangement for August to go 
with him. But the doctor replied that in some 
cases a warmer climate was desirable, but it was 
not necessary in Elvie’s case. All that he 
required was plenty of air and outdoor exercise, 
plain and wholesome food, and agreeable 
mental occupation. 


PLANS FORMED. 


15 

“ He would like to go into Vermont or New 
Hampshire,” said Mr. Grant. “ He made an 
excursion in those regions during this last sum- 
mer, and would like to go there again, especially 
in the winter, on account of the coasting and 
skating. And besides, he takes a special fancy 
to the mountains.” 

“ There could not be a better place for him,” 
said the doctor. “There are no more healthy 
countries in the world than New Hampshire and 
Vermont. And besides the ice and snow there 
would be a great deal to interest him in the 
winter occupations of the people on the grass 
farms of that region, — the care of the animals, 
the getting in of the winter wood — the sleigh 
rides, and singing schools, and other rural 
employments and pleasures.” 

So Mr. Grant at once decided that he would 
if possible make some arrangement to have 
Elvie spend the winter, after Christmas, among 


1 6 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

the Green Mountains of Vermont, in case lie 
could find a suitable place, and also make some 
arrangement with August to go and take care 
of him. 

As to August Mr. Grant did not think of him 
simply in reference to Elvie’s good. He wished 
also to make such arrangements as would be 
most conducive to August’s good, and best 
adapted to promote his future welfare. Nor 
was he entirely unselfish in this ; for he thought 
that so promising a boy would probably make 
a very excellent and successful man ; and he 
hoped that by favoring August’s progress in 
his education he could help him to attain to 
such a position in society that he and Elvie 
might be useful friends to each other in future. 

Accordingly, one afterripon, at the close of 
business hours, Mr. Grant took an express 
train to Tarry town, where his sister, Elvie’s 
aunt Elphinstone, lived, — having previously 


PLANS FORMED. 1 7 

written to August to meet him at five o’clock at 
Mrs. Elphinstone’s house. August was punctual 
to the minute, and there he and Mr. Grant had 
a conversation of half an hour on August’s 
plans of life. August said that the employment 
that he would most like when he became a man 
would be that of an architect, or an engineer, or 
a constructor of machinery, or something of 
that kind that would give employment to his 
mechanical taste and predilections. August did 
not use these words it is true, in expressing his 
desire, but that was the idea. Mr. Grant said he 
thought it was a very judicious idea. 

“ And in order to lay a broad and deep 
foundation for success in those pursuits,” said 
Mr. Grant, “the study that is most important 
for you to pursue is mathematics.” 

“ Mathematics !” repeated August. 

“ Yes,” said Mr. Grant. “ Mathematics is the 

science of calculation. Now in all great works 
V 


i8 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


of construction, such as laying out and making 
railroads, erecting public edifices, bridges and 
large establishments of all kinds, and manu- 
facturing engines and machinery, there is one 
set of men that make the calculations and form 
the plans, and other sets who do the work by 
carrying and laying the stone, casting or forging 
the iron, and performing all the other mere 
mechanical labors, under the guidance and 
direction of the men who plan them. 

“ Now I suppose,” continued Mr. Grant, 
“ that you wish to qualify yourself to plan and 
direct such works, and not merely to aid in 
executing them under the direction of others.” 

August said that would be his wish, if he 
thought he could ever fit himself to do it. 

“You can fit yourself no doubt,” said Mr. 
Grant, “ and one of the first things to be done is 
to study mathematics. In planning all great 
constructions there is a vast amount of calcula- 


PLANS FORMED. 1 9 

tion required. Indeed the success of such works 
often depends entirely upon the accuracy of the 
calculations. Now mathematics is the science of 
calculation. Arithmetic is the calculation of 
numbers, Geometry that of forms, and Algebra 
that of quantities. Those are the three founda- 
tion stones on which the power and the success 
of all great engineers and constructors repose.” 

As Mr. Grant said this August felt a strong 
desire to engage at once in the vigorous pro- 
secution of those studies, but he was silent, not 
wishing to interrupt Mr. Grant in the com- 
munication that he was making to him. 

So Mr. Grant went on to explain to August 
that he was desirous of sending Elvie, after the 
Christmas holidays, to some place in New 
England where he could live upon a farm and 
have a great deal of out-of-door amusement and 
occupation in connection with the farm, and 
yet spend an hour or two every day in some 


20 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


kind of study or mental improvement ; and that 
he had conceived the idea of finding a place for 
him near some academy or other school, where 
August could attend to his studies regularly. 

August said that he should like such a plan 
very much. 

“Well if you would like it,” said Mr. Grant, 
“that is one point gained. You must ask your 
father and we will see what he says about it. If 
your father approves the plan in general, then I 
will make some inquiries with a view to ascer- 
taining whether any place can be found which 
combines the advantages that we require — that 
is whether we can find a farm which will be the 
right place for Elvie, and is also near enough to 
some institution of learning which will afford 
you the advantages that you will require. You 
can propose the plan to your father, and if he is 
inclined to approve it then I will make some 
inquiries in New York, and if I succeed in 


PLANS FORMED. 


finding a place I will write to you making a 
definite proposal.” 

August was much pleased with the prospect 
which this conversation opened before him, and 
said that he would consult his father that very 
evening. 

“And you can write to me what he says 
by to-morrow’s mail,” said Mr. Grant. 

So saying he bade August good-bye, and 
after taking tea with his sister, Mrs. Elphinstone, 
he returned that same evening to New York, 



CHAPTER TI. 


Instructions. 

rpHE plan formed by Mr. Grant in the man- 
ner described in the last chapter was suc- 
cessfully carried into effect. August’s father 
was well pleased with the arrangement so far as 
his son was concerned, and August himself was 
more than pleased with it. It opened to him 
an opportunity, such as he had long desired, of 
commencing a course of study somewhat in 
earnest ; and then moreover he had become quite- 
attached to Elvie, and the idea of spending the 
winter and spring with him in some valley among 
the Green Mountains where there was an acade- 
my near, in which he could have instruction in 

( 22 ) 


INSTRUCTIONS. 23 

mathematics, formed for him a very attractive 
picture. 

Some of the boys who may read this story 
will perhaps be curious to know how Mr. Grant 
went to work to find a place in Vermont or 
New Hampshire fulfilling these conditions. He 
thought at once that the best means of obtain- 
ing the requisite information would be through 
some of the Vermont or New Hampshire 
merchants who might come to New York to 
purchase goods. Now no such country merchants 
came to him , for he was an importer, and the 
business of an importer is to bring in goods from 
Europe in large quantities — sometimes by the 
cargo — and to sell them chiefly to the wholesale 
dealers in New York who keep an assortment of 
the different kinds, and supply the country 
merchants as they are required. These wholesale 
dealers are called jobbers , though it would seem 
that they might find a more elegant name for 
them. 


24 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


Now Mr. Grant went to one of these men who 
he knew did a great deal of business with New 
England and asked him if he had many custom- 
ers from Vermont. 

“ Yes, plenty of them,” said his friend. “ There 
are some of them in here almost every day.” 

So Mr. Grant asked the merchant if he would 
have the goodness, the next time one of his 
customers came in who seemed to be a man of 
intelligence and general information, and who 
was also an upright and trustworthy man, to send 
word to him at his store — that is Mr. Grant’s 
store, — and also to ask the gentleman if he 
could spare the time to wait a few minutes 
until Mr. Grant should have time to come and see 
him. 

In consequence of this arrangement Mr. Grant 
received a message the next day that there was 
a Vermont gentleman at his friend’s store wait- 
ing to see him. He went there immediately, and 


INSTRUCTIONS. 25 

obtained from the stranger a good deal of 
valuable information in regard to the subject of 
his inquiries. 

In a similar way he made the acquaintance of 
two or three other men from different parts of 
the mountain country in New England, and 
thus obtained all the information necessary to 
enable him to come to a decision. He finally 
decided upon the region of Granville where 
there was a small village with an academy in it 
— the teacher of which he learned was very much 
liked by the scholars — and near it a green and 
fertile valley where there were many pleasant 
and thriving farms, carried on by prosperous 
farmers. He came finally to the conclusion that 
if on visiting the place August should find that 
the academy was such an institution as would 
* answer his purposes, and if he could also find a 
farm up the valley where Elvie would be 

contented and happy, and if he could moreover 

3 


26 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


make some arrangement by which he could 
secure the employment of Elvie in some kind of 
study for an hour or two every day, without 
interfering with his own duties at the academy, 
it would be all right. 

Mr. Grant learned only two things about the 
academy at Granville. One was that more 
attention was paid in it to mathematical and 
scientific than to classical studies, w T hich was 
just what he desired. There is a difference in 
different institutions in this respect, owing partly 
to the taste and inclination of the teachers 
respectively, and partly to the prevailing wish or 
intended destination of the class of pupils resort- 
ing to the different institutions. This is all very 
well, as in consequence of this diversity the 
parents oi each pupil can choose for their son 
the school that is beat adapted to the particular 
plans of life which they have formed for him. 

Thus the fact that at the Granville academy 


INSTRUCTIONS. 


27 


the studies most directly connected with the 
practical affairs of life were prominent, seemed 
to adapt it very well to August’s plans. 

The other thing that Mr. Grant learned about 
the school, was that the boys attending it liked 
their teacher very much indeed : and he thought 
that the fact of the scholars liking their teacher, 
and liking the school, was very good presumptive 
proof that the teacher was a good teacher, and 
the school a good school. Indeed the proof 
would seem to be not merely presumptive, but 
pretty positive ; for inasmuch as there can be no 
possible way by which a teacher can make his 
scholars like the school except by giving them 
pleasant employment when they are in it ; and 
as there is no conceivable way of finding pleasant 
employment for forty or fifty boys shut up and 
kept still day after -day in a school-room except 
by employing them in the successful prosecution 
of some kind of study, the fact that a teacher 


28 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


makes his scholars like their school is pretty good 
proof that the school is a good one. 

Mr. Grant therefore decided to send the boys, 
in the first instance at least, to Granville. He 
accordingly gave August instructions to that 
effect. He provided him with a sufficient supply 
of money, and with two letters of introduction 
One of these letters was written by his ministe. 
and was addressed to the minister of Granville. 
The other was from the president of a well 
known bank, and was addressed to the principal 
merchant in the village. They both expressed 
of course the highest opinion of Mr. Grant, in 
respect not only to his pecuniary responsibility, 
but to his entire trustworthiness both as a 
business man and a Christian. 

Mr. Grant also gave August very definite and 

/ 

precise instructions as to his course of procedure. 
These instructions were written out in full and 
were substantially as follows. 


INSTRUCTIONS. 


29 


That August was to proceed by the Con- 
necticut River Railroad, and by stage, directly 
to Granville. There he was to put up at the 
best tavern in the village until he could make 
the necessary inquiries and arrangements. As 
soon as convenient after his arrival he was to 
deliver his two letters — one to the minister and 
the other to the merchant — and to ask each of 
them their opinion in respect to the advantages 
of the academy for affording to August the 
practical, scientific instruction which he desired. 
If their opinion on this point was favorable, 
then he was to ask them for the names of any 
farmers living within a mile or two of the 
academy, at whose houses he and Elvie could 
probably find a pleasant home as boarders. He 
was to obtain the lists of these farmers, and 
gather in respect to them all the information 
which the merchant or the minister could give, 

and afterward, in consultation with Elvie, com- 
3 * 


30 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

pare their reports. Then, as soon afterward as 
convenient, he was to take some kind of carriage 
from the tavern and go and call upon those 
farmers, or such of them as he and Elvie should 
judge from the reports which they had received 
it was most desirable for them to see, and select 
from among the places the one which they 
should find best adapted to their purpose. 

Mr. Grant also instructed August to pay 
to Elvie twenty-five cents every week as his 
allowance of spending money, — this said allow- 
ance to be entirely at Elvie’s discretion to be 
spent as he should wish, without any exception ; 
but subject however to this condition, namely, 
that if Elvie should buy anything with his 
money which in August’s judgment was likely 
to be hurtful, dangerous or annoying, either to 
himself or to others, he was to be bound to give 
it up to August, on August’s reimbursing him 
for the amount that he had paid for it, and 


INSTRUCTIONS. 3 1 

August was carefully to preserve whatever he 
should thus reclaim, to take with him to New 
York to Mr. Grant at the time of their return in 
the spring. 

And further, that while August was to be 
restricted to twenty-five cents per week in 
respect to the amount that he was to pay to 
Elvie for spending money, he was himself to be 
under no restriction at all in respect to the 
amount that he might expend for him in any- 
thing that he should judge important to promote 
h's health or comfort, or his progress in study. 

“ Of course/’ said Mr. Grant, in these instruc- 
tions, — “ I do not wish any money to be wasted, 
or to be expended foolishly — but anything 
whatever that you think it desirable to buy for 
him, or any arrangement of any kind that you 
deem it advisable to make, that will conduce to 
his substantial comfort — you can make freely, 
whatever the expense may be.” 


32 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


It was also a part of the instructions thus 
given to August, that he was to mail regularly 
every Saturday night a letter to Mr. Grant 
giving him a distinct though brief report of the 
progress made since the last letter, and of the 
situation of affairs at the time of writing, and to 
telegraph immediately if either he himself or 
Elvie should meet with any serious accident, or 
be seriously sick. 

Mr. Grant, when he handed August these his 
instructions, put into his hands fifteen ten-dollar 
bills, and directed him to keep a full account of 
all his expenditure and to send the account to 
him at the end-of every month. 

“ I shall see,” said Mr. Grant, “by the balance 
you have in hand at each report you make, when 
I must send you more money.” 

Provided with these instructions and this 
supply of funds, and also with two trunks — one 
ior each oi them — containing what was necessary 


INSTRUCTIONS. 33 

in the way of clothing and other such things, 
not forgetting two pairs of excellent skates, — 
the two boys set out on their journey one bitter 
cold morning in January. 




CHAPTER III. 

The Journey. 

“ J am glad it is so cold,” said Elvie. 

“ Why ?” asked August 

“ Because the ice will be all the harder and 
stronger on the ponds or rivers where we are 
going,” said Elvie. 

“It is rather tough for us however — on the 
journey,” said August. 

“ Oh, that’s no matter,” said Elvie. “ We shall 
be warm enough in the cars. They always have 
stoves in the cars.” 

“ That’s right,” replied August. “ I am glad 
to see that you are disposed to look on the 
bright side. There is a bright side to almost 
everything, ii we only have sense enough to see 

( 34 ) 


THE JOURNEY. 35 

it. Some boys would have been fretting and 
grumbling about the cold on such a morning as 
this, instead of thinking of the good which it 
might be the means of bringing us.” 

“ But do you suppose there are any ponds or 
rivers where we are going ?” asked Elvie. 

“ I don’t suppose there can be any large rivers 
there,” said August, “ and I do not know that 
there are any natural ponds, — but I feel pretty 
sure there must be some mill ponds.” 

“ What makes you think so ?” asked Elvie. 

“ Because it is a valley, and it is a valley of 
some consequence, and of course there is a 
stream running through it.” 

“ Of course ?” repeated Elvie. 

“ Almost of course,” said August — “for all 
the rain which falls in a valley must flow down 
into the bed of it, — either by soaking down 
through the ground, or by forming little 
streamlets and brooks over the surface ; and so 


36 THE JOURNEY, 

boundary — between New Hampshire and Ver- 
mont, this road took them directly into the 
region of country where they wished to go. 

As has already been said, Elvie could see very 
little of the scenery of the country through 
which they were passing. Nor would there have 
been much to see if the view had been open to 
him, for the trees were bare, the ground was 
covered with snow — and even the river, except 
in places where the flow of the water was very 
rapid, had the appearance of a succession of level 
fields as white and solid as the adjoining land. 

Elvie obtained a glimpse of the landscape 
now and then as the train passed along, by 
rubbing off the frost in a little spot upon the 
pane opposite to his eye ; but the clear spot 
soon became clouded over again, and the view 
was very unsatisfactory while it continued, for 
the river could scarcely be distinguished from 
the level fields that bounded it. 


THE JOURNEY. 37 

there being dams and mill ponds here and there 
along the course of them. Some of these 
streams show a constant succession of dams 
and ponds through the whole extent of the 
valley.” 

The boys met with the usual variety of in- 
cidents and adventures on their journey. The 
car in which they took seats was made very com- 
fortable by a good stove, but they could see 
very little of the scenery of the country through 
which they passed on account of the frost on the 
windows ; which was caused by the action of the 
cold without, in chilling the glass, and the 
dampness, chiefly resulting from the breath of 
the passengers, within. For wherever there is 
warm air that contains a great deal of moisture 
within any room or enclosed space, and that 
comes in contact with glass that is made very 
cold by wintry air on the outside, the moisture 

is condensed upon it in the form of frost. In 

4 


38 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

summer, when the outside air is not so cold, the 
moisture which is condensed in this way, takes 
the form of dew. 

A dew upon a glass is composed of liquid 
water in very fine drops. Frost on the windows, 
on the other hand, is frozen water, that is ice, 
which however exists in the form of very minute 
crystals. 

The train which the boys took in leaving New 
York was an express train. It was on the New 
Haven Railroad that the journey was com- 
menced. From New Haven their course led 
them to Hartford and Springfield, and so far 
they were on the main express line to Boston. 
At Springfield, however, they left this line and 
took what is called the Connecticut Valley 
Railroad, which ascends along the bank of the 
Connecticut river for a long distance ; and as the 
river Connecticut in the upper part of its course 
flows along the boundary — or rather forms the 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 39 

must in the end produce a stream to flow along 
whole length of the valley at the bottom. This 
stream is larger or smaller according to the 
extent of the surface which gathers the rain. 
Now I suppose that Granville valley is of con- 
siderable extent, and of course it must produce 
a considerable stream.” 

“ But there may not be any mill ponds on the 
stream,” said Elvie. 

“It is tolerably certain that there will be,” 
said August, “ for the New England people are 
pretty apt to set all such streams at work. And 
the only way that they can set them at work is 
to dam them up here and there to form ponds, 
and then draw off the water as they want it to 
drive their mills and machinery. 

“ Of course I am not certain that it will be so 
in the Granville valley,” continued August, “ but 
there are very few valleys in New England with 
a stream 01 water flowing through them without 


40 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


At length late in the afternoon they arrived 
at the station where they were to leave the 
railroad and take the stage which was to convey 
them to Granville, in the interior. On stepping 
out upon the platform the first thing was to 
secure their trunks, and then to inquire for the 
Granville stage. 

“ Here it is,” said the man of whom they 
asked the question. 

The man whom they asked was enveloped in 
a shaggy great coat which was made of a buffalo 
skin. He had also a fur cap on his head and a 
whip in his hand. The stage which he pointed 
to was a covered sleigh. 

“ Good !” said El vie. “ Now we are going to 
have a sleigh ride.” 

“ Shall we take it to-night or wait till to- 
morrow ?” asked August. 

August had learned that the stage would go 
on that night, and that it was about three hours’ 


THE JOURNEY. 41 

ride to Granville. So he told Elvie that they 
could go on that night or remain in the village 
where they were, at some hotel or tavern, and 
finish their journey the next day. But Elvie 
was impatient to see what sort of a place 
Granville was and accordingly desired to go on. 

“At any rate,” said August, “we must get 
into the stage to go to the hotel here. I suppose 
the driver will stop a few minutes at the hotel to 
take in his other passengers.” 

In the mean time the driver had obtained the 
two trunks — for the boys had given him the 
checks when he pointed out the stage to them — 
and was now strapping them upon the rack 
behind. The sides of the stage consisted of 
curtains formed of some heavy blanket-like 
stuff, with button-holes in tags of leather at the 
corners and along the sides, by means of which 
the curtains could be buttoned down to the 

border of the sleigh. 

4* 


42 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


These curtains were already buttoned down 
upon one side, but they were open upon the 
other, and August and Elvie climbed in. The 
sleigh was quite large, — having three seats 
extending across it from side to side, and the 
bottom of it, up to the level of the seats, was 
filled with fresh clean straw. The seats them- 
selves were covered with buffalo robes, as they 
are called — that is buffalo skins with the hair on, 
and the leather soft and pliant. Besides those 
that were spread upon the seats, there were 
several loose robes lying upon the straw, which 
were to be used to envelope the feet, and cover 
the knees of the passengers. 

August and Elvie clambered over to the back 
seat and established themselves there, burying 
their feet in the straw, and spreading one of the 
loose buffalo robes over their laps — taking care 
to tuck it in well at the sides. 

“There!” said Elvie speaking in a tone of 


THE JOURNEY. 43 

great satisfaction. “ We are as snug as mice in 
a nest !” 

“Snugger, in fact,” he added, “for the mice 
don’t have any fur blankets like these to cover 
themselves up with.” 

“Yes,” rejoined August, “they have fur robes 
growing right out of their bodies. That’s some- 
what better than our plan, for they have them 
always handy ; and then besides there is no 
danger of the little mice getting their bed 
clothes off at night.” 

While Elvie was musing over the question 
whether or not it would be really better for him 
to have a natural fur covering upon his body 
and limbs, the driver mounted upon the box 
outside and the horses set off on a brisk trot 
away from the station and into the village. 

The sun was just setting when the stage 
drove up to the hotel door. The driver jumped 
down from his seat and called out at the door of 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


44 

the hotel “ Stage is ready !” August asked 
Elvie if he would not prefer stopping at the 
hotel that night, and so go on the next 
morning. 

“You see,” said he, “it will soon be dark now 
— only there will be a moon. But it will be very 
cold.” 

“ No,” said Elvie, “ let’s go on now we are so 
comfortably settled. Besides I should like a 
sleigh ride by moonlight.” 

“It is pretty cold to-night, isn’t it, driver ? ” 
said August addressing the driver. 

“ A little chilly,” said the driver ; “ but it 
is still. We never call it cold when it is still.” 

A Vermont driver, so long as it is still, does 
not call anything cold that is less than thirty 
below zero. If there is a fierce wind blowing in 
his face that makes it a different thing. 

In a few minutes two men came out from the 
hotel and entering the stage took their places 


THE JOURNEY. 45 

upon the forward seat. They were talking with 
each other all the time, and when they were 
seated they drew the buffalo robe over their 
laps in an unconcerned manner, as if they did 
not think at all of the cold. 

They had not far to go, however, for at 
the first stopping place of the stage, which 
was about four miles from where it; started, they 
got out ; so that for the rest of the journey the 
two boys had the whole interior of the vehicle to 
themselves. 

As the driver unbuttoned the curtain on one 
side to open the way for his two passengers to 
get out, the moonlight came in. It came in on the 
opposite side of the stage to that on which the 
beams of the sun had shone at its setting. This 
was a matter of course, for the moon, to be full, 
must be where we can see the whole or nearly 
the whole of the side which is made bright 
by the sun’s shining upon it, — that is, it must 


4 6 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

be opposite to the sun in the sky, and con- 
sequently must be rising or near its rising in the 
east when the sun is going down, or has just 
gone down, in the west. When Elvie saw these 
beams he proposed to August that they should 
have the curtain rolled up, so as to let the moon 
shine in. 

“ We can try it,” said August, “ and see 
whether it will be too cold.” 

So while the driver was attending to his 
horses, August rolled up the curtain, and 
fastened it with two straps provided for the 
purpose. 

Very soon after this the driver mounted upon 
his seat, and the horses trotted on. 

They went very fast, for the road was in 
excellent condition, the load was light, and the 
horses had been provided with a fresh supply 
of motive power, as August expressed it, in 
shape of a good supper of oats and hay which 


THE JOURNEY. 47 

they had taken in before they started, at the 
stable of the hotel. 

Thus everything being favorable, and the 
night air being fresh, and the horses being in 
excellent spirits, the driver thought that it was 
a good time, as he expressed it to himself, to 
“ put them through.” 

Accordingly the horses went on at great speed 
up hill and down dale without any slackening 
of their pace, as if they liked very much the idea 
of being “ put through !” The road was wide, 
and was worn so smooth and made so hard by 
the multitude of sleds and sleighs which had 
passed over it, that it was almost like a road of 
ice. The moon shone in, beautiful though cold, 
upon the straw and the buffalo robes in the 
interior of the stage. The forest trees, as they 
seemed to glide swiftly by, shewed their branches, 
and sometimes their tops where the tops were 
visible, bent down by the load 01 snow which 


48 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

had lodged upon them — and the coat collars and 
mufflers of August and Elvie were soon whitened 
with the frost work produced by the conden- 
sation of their breaths. They were so wrapped 
up however with the garments which they had 
provided for the occasion, and their feet and 
hands were so enveloped in the straw and 
covered with buffalo robes, that they were as 
warm as if they had been in bed. 

“It must be a pretty cold night,” said Elvie. 
“ I pity the poor people that have to work out 
all day such weather as this.” 

“You had better pity the rich people that 
stay at home and have comfortable fires,” replied 
August. 

“ Why so ? ” asked Elvie. 

“Because there is usually more fretting and 
grumbling about the cold, ten times over,” said 
August, “ among people who live in comfortable 
houses, and have nothing to do but take care of 


THE JOURNEY. 49 

themselves, than there is among those who have 
to go out and face it.” 

“ Then it is because they are fretful and 
impatient,” said Elvie — “ and so it is their own 
fault, and they don’t deserve to be pitied.” 

“ They are all the more to be pitied on that 
account,” said August. 

“ More to be pitied ! ” repeated Elvie. He 
seemed somewhat surprised to hear of the pos- 
session of a fretful and impatient spirit making 
a person an object of pity rather than of blame. 

“ Y es,” replied August. “ I think they are to 
be pitied, for the cause of it must have been 
either something in their natural disposition, or 
else something in the way they have been 
brought up — or else partly from one and partly 
from the other. And in whichever way it comes, 
it is a great misfortune.” 

August and Elvie however being in a content- 
ed frame of mind, and not disposed to find any 
5 


50 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

complaint at any unavoidable privations and 
hardships, but rather to think of and enjoy what 
there was that was enjoyable within their reach, 
found their night ride a very comfortable and 
even pleasant one, and at about eight o’clock in 
the evening the stage that was conveying them 
drove up rapidly to the door of the tavern in 
Granville. 




CHAPTER IV. 

The Arrival . 

stepping out from the stage the boys 
were conducted into the sitting-room of 
the tavern, where they found a great blazing 
wood fire ready to welcome them. Their trunks 
were taken off from the rack behind the stage 
and put into the entry. After they had warmed 
themselves a little they went out into what was 
called the “bar-room,” to enter their names in 
the book, and engage rooms for the night. 

They found in the bar-room a small space 

partitioned off by a kind of counter, in the 

corner, and upon the counter there was lying 

open a large book, which seemed to be full of 

( 51 ) 


52 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

names. This book was the register in which 
travellers were to enter their names on their 
arrival. There was an inkstand with a pen in 
it by the side of the book. August took the 
pen and entered his own and Elvie’s names in 
the book, and then asked a young man who 
stood behind the counter, if they could have two 
rooms opening into each other, and a fire in one 
of them. 

“ Exactly,” replied the young man. “ There 
is a nice open stove, and a fire all ready to be 
lighted.” 

So saying he went out into the entry to take 
the trunks into the rooms. August and Elvie 
followed him. He took up one of the trunks 
and throwing it upon his shoulder he led the 
way up stairs. He went first into the largest of 
the two rooms, and there after setting the lamp 
upon the table he said he would light the fire 
and then would bring up the other trunk. 


THE ARRIVAL. 


53 


“ No,” said Elvie, “ let me light the fire." 

“ Very well,” said the young man — “ there are 
some lamp-lighters on the mantel-piece.” 

The stove was a large iron one, open in front 
like a fire-place, — only there were doors by 
which the opening might be closed. 

So Elvie took a lamp-lighter from the mantel- 
piece, touched the end of it to the lamp which 
the young man held in his hand, and then with 
it lighted the kindling materials that had been 
placed under the fire. He stood a moment to 
watch the smoke and flame making their way 
up through the wood. 

“ As soon as you see that it is going to burn,” 
said the young man, “you can shut the stove 
doors, and then the room will be all warm for 
you by the time you have had your suppers ; — 
and I will go down and bring up the other 
trunk ” 

Accordingly as soon as Elvie found that the 
5 * 


54 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

fire was making its way freely up through the 

wood, he shut the doors of the stove, and he and 

August went down-stairs to supper, meeting the 

young man on the way bringing up the other 

trunk. 

The supper table was set in a back room 
where a great wood fire was burning, which, 
together with two or three lamps that were 
burning on the table, gave a very cheerful and 
even brilliant aspect to the scene. 

There was quite a little party at the supper 
table, consisting of persons who boarded at the 
hotel, and one or two travelers besides August 
and Elvie. The table was most abundantly 
supplied with beef-steaks, fried chicken, baked 
and fried potatoes, and also with mince and 
apple, and pumpkin pies, and plates of cakes and 
doughnuts. Elvie, as he entered the room, was 
delighted to see this display, for the long ride 
had given him an excellent appetite. The other 


THE ARRIVAL. 5 5 

people came into the room at the same time 
that he and August entered it, for the bell had 
just been rung. 

The warmth of the room too was very 
agreeable to the two travelers in coming from the 
wintry night air ; though they had been so well 
enveloped in straw and in buffalo robes in the 
sleigh that they had not suffered at all from the 
cold during their ride. Now that they had 
come in, however, the fire was very agreeable, 
and one of the girls that attended at the table 
gave them seats pretty near it. 

After supper they both went up to their rooms 
again. They found the large room quite com- 
fortably warm from the fire in the stove, and all 
the “ chill was taken off,” as August expressed 
it, from the smaller room. 

Elvie, however, at once put some more wood 
upon the fire in the stove, taking it from an 
amply filled wood box, near. 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


56 

“ And now,” said August, “ I hope you don’t 
feel sleepy.” 

“No,” said Elvie, “not a bit.” 

“ Because,” continued August, “ it will be 
better for us to sit up an hour or so, after eating 
such a hearty supper.” 

So saying August with Elvie’s help moved 
out a large table into the middle of the room, 
and then the two boys opening their trunks 
took out books and portfolios and writing 
materials, and arranging these upon the table 
they soon gave the place a very sociable and 
attractive look. August recommended that Elvie 
should take out a sheet of note paper and begin 
a letter to his lather. Elvie said he did not feel 
like writing a letter that night. He would 
rather do it the next day, he said. 

“ But I don’t ask you to write it to-night,” 
said August, “ but only to get everything ready 
and just begin it. It is very little work to take 


THE ARRIVAL. 57 

out your paper and date it, and write Dear 
Father, and perhaps an opening sentence, and 
also to stamp and address an envelope ; and 
when you have done that you will feel that the 
work is half done. The work of actually writing 
the letter to-morrow morning, after all these 
preparations are made, will seem very light. 

Elvie concluded to follow August’s advice, as 
he thought it would not be much trouble to take 
out his paper, and get ready to write, and also 
to prepare an envelope ; but he found when he 
had done so much, and had written one sentence, 
he was inclined to go on, and after a silence of 
about fifteen minutes he laid down his pen, and 
said in a tone of great satisfaction : 

“ There ! My letter is finished.” 

“ I am very glad of it,” said August. “ I was 
in hopes that when you had once made a 
beginning you would go on and finish it, — 
though if you had not done so, your having 


58 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

made a beginning would have been a great help 
for you to-morrow. The best thing we can do 
when we have a work before us that we have 
not energy enough to resolve to do, is to resolve 
to begin it, at any rate. Then when we have 
once made a beginning it is easier to go on with 
it than we supposed. It is a way of inveigling 
ourselves to doing our duty.” 

“ Inveigling ? ” repeated Elvie. 

“ Yes,” . said August ; “ enticing ourselves — 
drawing ourselves along artfully.” 

“I am glad my letter is done at any rate,” 
said Elvie. “ I have told my father that we 
have got here safely, and how pleasant it is.” 

So saying Elvie handed August the letter to 
read, and August added a postscript to it. 

“Your father will be very glad,” said August, 
“that you had the resolution to sit down at 
once and write him a letter so soon after your 
arrival. I’ll go down with the letter and see if 


THE ARRIVAL. 59 

there is any way by which I can mail it to- 
night, — so that it will go out to-morrow morn- 
ing, and thus perhaps meet the first down train 
to-morrow.” 

August found that he had to go across the 
street to the post-office, to deposit his letter 
in the post-office box, in order to insure its 
going by the morning mail. When he returned 
he found Elvie sitting in a comfortable rocking 
chair by the fireside, looking into the fire. There 
was a sofa there too, and August, drawing it up a 
little nearer to the fire, established himself upon 
it in a very comfortable manner. * 

“ And now to-morrow,” said August, “ we 
must go to work to make our inquiries, and to 
form our plans.” 

“And what plans are you going to form for 
my studies ?” asked Elvie. 


* Frontispiece. 


6o 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“ That’s what puzzles me,” replied August. 

“ How does it puzzle you ?” asked Elvie. 

“Why you see the difficulty is this,” said 
August. “ Your father wished 1 6 have me go on 
with my studies regularly at the academy, and 
for you to study about two hours every day. Now 
I cannot go on very well and keep up with my 
classes unless I am at school during the whole 
of school hours, even if the teacher should be 
willing that I should be absent a part of the 
time. And I don’t think you could do anything 
to advantage in going to any kind of a school 
for two hours in a day, even if you could be 
admitted to any school on those conditions. 
The difficulty is to find what time I am going to 
have to attend to you!” 

“ Could not I have my studies in the even- 
ing ?" suggested Elvie. 

“ I don’t think that plan would work very well,” 
said August. “ The evening is not a good time 


THE ARRIVAL. 


6 1 


for young persons to study, especially if their 
constitutions are not well established. You will 
get tired, or at least I hope you will get tired, 
every day before night comes, with driving 
about the farm, if we find one, or with sliding 
and skating, or other exercise.” 

“ Then how would it do,” asked Elvie, “ for 
me to get up early in the morning for my 
study ?” 

“ I don’t think that would do very well either,” 
said August. “ A boy when he is growing 
needs his full sleep. And besides I don’t believe 
that we could have any good conveniences for 
study early in the morning, at any farmer’s 
house such as we shall be likely to find up the 
valley.” 

“ Then what shall we do ?” asked Elvie. 

“ I don’t readily see,” replied August. “ I 
shall have to think a little. But we will not 

puzzle our heads any more about it to-night, 

6 


62 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


but will go to bed. You shall have this room, 
and I will take the little one adjoining.” 

So saying, August rose from his seat, and he 
and Elvie began to make preparations for going 
to bed. August put a large rock-maple log 
upon the fire, and then shut the stove-doors, so 
that the log should be kept slowly burning 
all night. He then went into the small adjoin- 
ing room himself, leaving the larger one, where 
the fire was, to Elvie. When Elvie was in bed 
he came in again, and tucked him up very 
snugly. Elvie said he was in a warmer and 
better nest than he had in the stage. 

August soon afterward put out the lamp, and 
then Elvie’s attention was attracted to a flicker- 
ing of light upon the wall, produced by the 
radiation from the flames in the stove passing 
out through the crevices over the stove-doors. 
He watched this flickering and the glow which 
accompanied it for a few minutes, and then said 


THE ARRIVAL. 63 

his prayers with a heart full of devout thank- 
fulness to God for all His goodness to him. 
After this, and before he even knew that he was 
sleepy, he was fast asleep. 



CHAPTER V. 

Johnny. 

r J" , HE next morning it was bright and pleasant. 

Sleigh bells were jingling merrily in the 
street, and the snow in the fields around glittered 
with millions of spangles. The smoke from the 
chimneys, or rather the columns of steam, — for 
most of what rises from the chimney in cold 
winter mornings, in country villages, is steam, — 

Jt 

rose straight into the air. 

“ The first thing we have to do to-day,” said 

August, as he and Elvie were seated at the 

breakfast table, “ is to deliver our two letters of 

introduction, and see what we can find out 

about a place for us to board, up the valley.” 

( 64 ) 



JOHNNY. 65 

“ We have brought two letters of introduction,” 
he continued. “ One is for a merchant, and one 
is for a minister. We will go to the minister’s 
first.” 

Elvie readily agreed to this arrangement, and 
as the merchant’s and the minister’s houses were 
both probably in the village, they determined to 
go to them on foot, and then afterward, if they 
heard of any good place for them among the 
farmers up the valley, they would take a horse 
and sleigh and go on an exploring tour. 

“ But how shall we find out where the minister 
lives ? ” asked August. 

“ Oh, anybody can tell us that,” said Elvie. 
“Anybody will know where the minister lives. 
I’ll go and ask at the bar.” 

It was one of August’s plans in his manage- 
ment of Elvie to refer to him as often as possible 
in disposing of the various questions which were 

continually arising, and to devolve upon him the 
6 * 


66 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


duty of doing everything which he supposed 
Elvie would like to do. He considered this a 
very important means of cultivating the thinking 
and reasoning powers, and maturing the judg- 
ment of such a boy. 

“If I wish to teach him to take care of 
himself,” he used to say, “I must give him 
some practice in such duties, and not do every 
thing for him.” 

Elvie went off at once to procure the desired 
information. In a few minutes he returned 
saying, “ I have found out. I’ll show you the 
way.” 

So August put himself under Elvie’s guidance, 
and the two boys, after making the necessary 
preparations, set off together. August made no 
inquiries of Elvie, but walked along by his side 
as if he placed entire confidence in his capability 
to act as guide. They walked for some distance 
along a brick side-walk which formed the margin 


JOHNNY, 67 

of the village street. There were shops and 
stores on each side, and Elvie pointed to a sign 
over one of the stores which contained the name 
of the merchant to whom one of the letters of 
introduction was addressed. 

“ We will go there,” he said, “ after we have 
been at the minister’s.” 

Presently they came, to a church which stood 
on a corner near the middle of the village. 

“ This is the church,” said Elvie, “ where the 
minister preaches. His house is up this way.” 

August followed without asking any question, 
in the direction which Elvie indicated, and 
presently came to a small one-story but very 
neat and pretty-looking house, on the right hand, 
with steps leading from the side-walk up to a 
yard in front of the house. There were some 
evergreen trees around the margin of the yard. 

“ This must be the house,” said Elvie. “ He 
said that it was the first house on the right, and 


68 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


.that there was a yard and some evergreens in 
front.” 

Elvie led the way up the steps and opened a 
little gate at the top of them which admitted 
them into the yard. As they entered the yard 
Elvie’s eyes fell upon a small boy — perhaps three 
or four years old — who was coming up a sliding 
place which he had made, or which had been 
made for him by his father, down a little descent 
before the door. He came up dragging after 
him a broken sled. The sled was very small, 
being just of the right size for such a boy, and 
was formed in a rude manner by means of narrow 
boards made into the shape of runners, and a 
board for a seat nailed across from one runner 
to the other. But the nails, it seems, had not 
been large enough, for the boy in sliding down 
had somehow or other allowed his sled to “ slue ” 
as the boys say, and one of the runners had 
given way under the strain which had been 


JOHNNY. 69 

brought upon it, and had been torn off from its 
fastenings. The poor boy seemed to have borne 
the misfortune as patiently as could have been 
expected, for he did not cry, but was staggering 
up the hill as well as he could, bringing the broken 
runner under his arm and dragging the remaining 
portion of the sled after him by means of its string. 

August and Elvie stopped a moment to look 
at him, August holding the letter of introduction 
in his hand. The boy gazed intently at the 
strangers too as he advanced toward the step of 
the door. Although it had been so cold the 
night before, the sun was now shining — making 
it quite warm and pleasant at the door, and 
the door itself was open. The boy, as soon as 
he came near the step, called out to his mother. 

“ Well, Johnny,” answered a pleasant voice 
from within, “ what is it ? ” 

“ My sled is all brokened,” said Johnny, “and 
here are two big boys with a letter.” 


70 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


On hearing this Johnny’s mother came at once 
to the door. Seeing August and Elvie, she at 
once asked them to come in. She told Johnny 
that he had better come in too, as his sled was 
broken. 

“ But I want it mended,” said Johnny. 

I’ll help you' mend it,” said August. 

“ Are you a sled-mender ?” asked Johnny 
looking up curiously into August’s face. 

“Yes,” said August. “I’ve mended a good 
many sleds in my day.” 

So saying August gave Johnny his hand, and 
they all went into the house. Johnny pulled his 
sled in after him, holding the broken runner all 
the time under his arm. 

As soon as they had entered the house, August 
handed the letter to the lady, who, as it proved, 
was the minister’s wife. The letter, as usual 
with letters of introduction, was not sealed, and 
the lady opened and read it. Then she looked 


JOHNNY. 7 1 

at August and Elvie with a pleased expression 
of countenance, as if the contents of the letter 
had been such as to make a favorable impression 
in respect to them. She told them that Mr. 
Rosier, her husband, had gone to the post-office, 
but that he would be at home in a few minutes, 
and asked them to sit by the fire and wait. 

Mrs. Rosier then returned to a table at the 
back side of the room, where she had been 
ironing when the boys came to the door, and 
resumed her work, — continuing her conversation, 
in the meantime, with August. 

Elvie took Johnny to the other side of the 
fire, and began to examine the broken sled. 

“ Is your name Johnny ?” said he. 

“Yes,” said Johnny. 

“ My name is something like that,” said Elvie. 
“ They call me Elvie, and don’t you think that 
sounds something like Johnny.” 

“ I don’t know,” said Johnny. 


72 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


Elvie looked at the sled, and was mechanic 
enough to see that all that was required was 
some larger and stouter nails. The wood of the 
runner was not split ; the difficulty was that 
the nails had been broken off and pulled out. 
It seems that Johnny’s father, who had made 
the sled for his boy, not having any gimlet at 
hand to bore with, and being afraid that if he 
put in large nails without boring there would be 
danger of splitting the wood, used small nails 
instead, and they proved insufficient. 

“ If you can go out and get me a hammer 
and some big nails,” said Elvie, “ I can mend 
your sled for you.” 

“ Well,” said Johnny in a tone of great satis- 
faction. 

And so saying he went out into the kitchen, 
or rather into the back kitchen, — for in the 
simple and unpretending style of living which 
many country ministers are obliged to adopt, 


JOHNNY. 73 

one room often has to serve, especially in cold 
weather, for parlor, sitting-room and kitchen all 
in one. In this case, in fact, Mrs. Rosier was 
doing her ironing in the family sitting-room. 

It must not be supposed, however, that the 
family life in these homes is any the less happy 
on account of these snug modes of living. On 
the contrary such homes are often the most 
happy ; and many people have found that by 
enlarging their house and their accommodations 
in the hope of increasing their happiness, they 
have in fact only multiplied their troubles and 
cares. 

Johnny soon came back lugging in a box 
which contained a hammer and some tools. 

“Why, Johnny!” said his mother turning 
round from her ironing. “ What are you doing ?” 

“ He is only bringing in some nails for me to 
mend his sled with,” said Elvie. 

Mrs. Rosier looked at him a moment with an 

7 


74 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

air of pleased curiosity, and then said, “You 

must not be troublesome, Johnny.” 

“No, mother,” replied Johnny. “I’m not 
troublesome. He wants to mend my sled.” 

Elvie selected some large nails, of the kind 
called board nails, to replace the small and weak 
shingle nails which had been used before. Then 
he took out of his pocket a little tool-handle full 
of tools, which he often carried with him on 
his journeys, so as to have the tools ready at 
hand to do any little job of mechanical work 
which he might have occasion to undertake, 
either for himself or for others — and especially 
for others. For he had learned, partly from the 
influence and instructions of August, and partly 
from his own experience and observation, that 
the true object o* liie is to do to others, as well 
as to ourselves, all the good in our power, and 
he found many occasions in which he could do 
somebody a favor by having his tools with him. 


JOHNNY. 75 

These tools were enclosed in a little handle, 
the top of which could be unscrewed so as to 
take the tools out. They consisted of bradawls 
of different sizes, a small screw-driver, two or 
three pretty little chisels, a small gouge, saw, file 
and the like. There were twenty or more of 
these tools in all, including a little wrench, by 
means of which any one of them could be 
fastened into the socket at the end of the 
handle for use, and released again, when the 
tools were to be put away. Such a set of tools 
as this can be bought at almost any hardware 
store, and probably most of the readers of this 
book have seen the article. 

There was a double advantage in the pos- 
session of a pocket companion like this in such 
a case as that of Johnny’s, for it not only enables 
a good-natured and kind-hearted boy like Elvie 
to mend what is broken, but it also greatly 
interests and amuses the child to see the handle 
and the tools, and to watch the operation. 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


76 

Johnny stood with his hands behind him, — for 
Elvie had expressly enjoined it upon him “ not 
to touch ’’—and looked on with intense curiosity 
and interest depicted in his countenance, while 
Elvie unscrewed the top of the handle, and then 
poured out all the tools into his open hand. 

He then took out a bradawl of the proper 
size, and the little wrench, and gave them to 
Johnny to hold while he put back the rest of the 
tools into the interior of the handle. Then he 
bored the holes for the nails — four in each side 
— for he wished to strengthen the side that was 
still whole, as well as to mend the one that was 
broken. After he had bored the holes he 
selected nails for them and inserted the nails, as 
iar as they would go, into the holes. 

“ And now,” said he after having done this, 
we will go out on the liont step and drive the 
nails in.” 

“ No,” said Johnny. “I want you to drive 
them in here, where it is warm/* 


JOHNNY. 77 

“ Ah ! but,” said Elvie, “ if I’m going to mend 
your sled you must let me do it in my own 
way.” 

He seemed to think that this was a good 
opportunity to give Johnny a lesson in sub- 
mission to the will of his superiors. At any 
rate, without paying any heed to his desire to 
have the driving in of the nails done in the 
house, which he knew would disturb his mother 
and August who were talking there, he took up 
the sled, and giving Johnny the hammer to carry, 
partly for the purpose of diverting his thoughts 
from the refusal of his request to have the 
mending of the sled finished at the fireside — 
they went together out to the great stone step, 
before the door, where Elvie drove in the nails, 
and the sled was then stronger and better than 
ever. 

After two or three slides with the sled, Elvie 
and Johnny went back into the house, and very 


78 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

soon afterward Mr. Rosier came home. After 
reading the letter of introduction, he gave August 
and Elvie a very cordial reception, and seemed 
to take a great interest in their plans. He 
made many inquiries, and consulted his wife 
several times about the principal farmers up the 
valley. On the whole he recommended a certain 
farmer whom he called Deacon Justin. His 
place he thought would be on the whole the best 
for them, provided Mrs. Justin had a room for 
them that she could spare. 

“ He’ll have a kind of companion and play- 
mate there in Quimbo,” said Mr. Rosier. 

“Yes,” said Mrs. Rosier, “only there is very 
little play in Quimbo.’, 

“Well, there’s Fan. There’s play enough in 
Fan,” rejoined Mr. Rosier. 

Elvie’s curiosity was much excited by these 
allusions to Quimbo and Fan, but he had no 
time to make any inquiries, for August had 


JOHNNY. 79 

risen to take his leave. Mr. Rosier gave them 
both a very cordial invitation to come and see 
him again, and especially to call upon him if 
they found that he could in any way be of any 
farther assistance to them in their plans. Mrs. 
Rosier joiped in this invitation, while Johnny 
stood by and looking up wistfully into Elvie’s 
face, said earnestly, “Don’t go away.” 

After leaving the minister’s the two boys went 
to the merchant’s where they were also very cor- 
dially received. The merchant — whose name was 
Mr. Woodman — read the letter of introduction 
which was addressed to him, and then shook 
hands with August and Elvie with a special 
look of kindness in his face, and said he should 
be very happy to do anyl-.ng for jm in his 
power. 

The boys remained in the merchant’s count- 
ing-room — which was a small room in the rear 
of the store — for some time, talking with Mr. 


80 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

Woodman about their plans, and about the 
different people that lived up the valley. They 
obtained in this way a great deal of additional 
information in respect to the inhabitants of the 
valley, and the situation of the different farms, 
but all that Elvie heard made him more and 
more inclined to believe that Deacon Justin’s 
was the place for them. The truth was that 
what chiefly interested him in this plan was 
what he had heard about Quimbo and Fan, 
little as it was. Indeed boys of his age generally 
require very little foundation of fact for very 
grand superstructures of imagination. 

Mr. Woodman, when the boys left him, gave 
them a few lines of introduction to Deacon 
Justin, saying that the boys came to him with 
the highest recommendations, that they wished 
to make arrangements for board and residence 
for some weeks somewhere in the valley, and 
that the father of one of them was able and 


JOHNNY. 8 1 

willing to pay whatever might be required to 

secure such accommodations as they might 

desire ; and that he, Deacon Justin, might 
> 

depend upon the full and faithful fulfilment of 
whatever conditions might be agreed to by the 
oldest of the boys. 

Mr. Woodman said moreover that the letter 
which he gave them would serve for any of the 
other farmers that they might call upon, in case 
they should not find such accommodations as 
they required at Deacon Justin’s. 

The boys, taking the letter, bade Mr. Wood- 
man good-bye, and went away. 

“ I think Deacon Justin’s will be the place for 
us,” said Elvie— “ unless the deacon is cross. 
Are deacons generally cross ?” 

“ Oh no,” said August. “ At least not that I 
know of. We can tell, however, something by 
his looks when we come to see him. We cannot 
decide till we go up the valley and we see the 


82 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


places where the people live. And now, how 
shall we contrive to get a horse and sleigh, for 
our ride up the valley ? ” 

“ I don’t know,” replied Elvie. “ Perhaps there 
is a livery stable somewhere about here.” 

“ Perhaps there is,” said August. 

“ Or perhaps we can get a horse and sleigh at 
the tavern,” added Elvie. 

“ Can you go out to the stable to inquire ?” 
asked August. 

“Yes,” said Elvie eagerly. “I should like to 
do it. You go in and wait in the sitting-room 
while I go and see. And if I find one I will 
engage it, if you say so, and come round to the 
door.” 

The boys reached this point in their con- 
versation just at the time when they arrived at 
the hotel. So August went into the hotel, while 
Elvie went alone into the yard, on his way to 
the stable, to see if he could obtain a horse and 
sleigh. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Up the Valley . 

F about twenty minutes Elvie came driving 
around to the front door of the tavern in a 
sleigh. The sleigh was quite a handsome one, 
and was well furnished with buffalo robes. The 
horse too looked strong and fleet, and every- 
thing about the turn-out appeared extremely 
satisfactory. 

Elvie waited a moment as he drove up to the 
door, thinking that the noise of the bells would 
attract August’s attention, and bring him out. 
He was right in this anticipation, for almost im- 
mediately August appeared. 



8 4 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“ Well, Elvie said August, “ you have suc- 
ceeded I see; and you’ve got a very nice sleigh.” 

“ Yes,” said Elvie. “ I ought to have a nice 
one, for I had my choice out of four that were 
standing there in the yard. And you must sit 
over on the other side, for I’m going to drive.” 

So saying he made room for August to pass 
him, and then both the boys took their seats. 
Elvie drew up the reins, and the horse, under- 
standing the movement as an indication that his 
party were ready, set off at once, and was soon 
trotting swiftly down the road. 

They drove through the village to the church, 
and turned at the church to go up the road 
upon which Mr. Rosler’s house was situated. 

“We shall go by Mr. Rosler’s house,” said 
Elvie, “and if we see Johnny out sliding we 
might ask him to go with us.” 

It was very kind in Elvie to think of Johnny, 
and to wish to give him too the benefit and 


UP THE VALLEY. 8 5 

pleasure of a ride, but August thought it would 
not be best to do it. 

“ We don’t know how long we shall be gone,” 
said August, “nor what sort of a boy Johnny is.” 

“He seemed to be a pretty good sort of a 
boy,” said Elvie. 

“ Yes,” replied August, “ that is true. But we 
don’t know how he would act in different 
situations and circumstances, so we had better 
give him a ride some other day.” 

By this time they had reached the house, but • 

although the morning was very bright and 

pleasant, and the air was quite mild, and 

although Elvie looked earnestly among the 

firtrees in Mr. Rosler’s yard as he passed, 
Johnny was nowhere to be seen, and so the 
horse went by at full speed. 

They soon found that they were entering a 
valley, and before long at a short distance before 
them there appeared a small hamlet, or cluster 


86 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


of buildings, in the centre of which were some 
mills standing at the end of a dam which had 
been built to intercept the waters of a considerable 
stream which flowed through the valley. The 
boys had not observed this stream before — the 
road by which they had come having entered 
the valley at some little distance from the bed 
of it ; and then besides, in all places where the 
flow of the water was not rapid, and was not 
broken by rocks and shoals, it was covered with 
ice and snow so as to be scarcely distinguishable 
from the land forming its banks. But now they 
saw the watq; plainly where it fell over the 
margin of the dam, and tossed and tumbled 
among the rocks below. 

There were two mills near the dam, both 
carried by the water that was held back by it, 
and there were several houses near. There was 
also a small store and a blacksmith’s shop. In 
fact the whole scene presented the appearance 


UP THE VALLEY. 87 

of quite a pleasant little village. It appeared to 
be a somewhat lively place too, as several sleighs 
and sleds were to be seen moving to and fro, or 
standing at the entrance to the mills. 

“ This is a pleasant place,” said Elvie. 
“ Perhaps there is some house here where we 
could stay.” 

“ Let us stop and look about a little,” said 
August. 

So saying August drove up to a post by 
the roadside, near the little store, and Elvie 
fastened the horse to it. They then walked 
about for some time, first going down to see the 
dam, and the mill wheels, and the flume, which 
last was half choked up at the entrance with 
great cakes of ice. 

“ This must be the lower mills,” said Elvie. 
“ They told us that Deacon J ustin lived at the 
upper mill. But this would be a very nice place, 
and some of these houses look very pleasant.” 


88 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


The houses did indeed present quite an at- 
tractive appearance, being situated on little 
lanes, at various elevations above the level of 
the main road— each adorned with its own 
pretty little yard and garden, although there 
was at this season of the year nothing but the 
fences, the rows of shrubbery, and the gates, 
rising above the snow, to indicate the enclosures 
' and the cultivation. 

The boys looked at these houses and liked 
the appearance of several of them very much ; 
but August thought that they probably were 
occupied chiefly by persons more or less con- 
nected with the mills, and that it would be better 
for their purpose to have more of a farm for their 
home. So they determined to return to the 
sleigh and go on. 

The valley seemed to grow somewhat wider 
and more cultivated as they went forward up the 
road, though it was bordered on each side, at the 


UP THE VALLEY. 89 

distance of a mile or more, by irregularly-shaped 
hills which were nearly all covered with forests 
to their summits. Here and there among these 
hills, ravines and valleys were seen opening, and 
some of these formed very pretty-looking ravines, 
which Elvie thought he should like very much 
to explore in the summer. 

“You can explore them much more easily 
when the snow gets hardened toward the 
spring,” said August, “for then there is fine 
walking everywhere. When the snow is three 
or four feet deep, as it almost always is in 
the woods in this region, in March, and has 
become hardened by freezing after thaws, then 
all the holes and stumps and rocks, and little 
brooks and wet places are covered, and you can 
walk over everything on a surface as smooth 
and hard as a floor.” 

“ Then I hope we shall stay here till March,” 


said Elvie. 


90 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“ Yes,’ said August,” I hope so. Besides, that 
will be maple sugar time, and we can make 
some maple sugar perhaps, and take home with 
us to New York.” 

The boys were talking in this way together as 
they came down one of the lanes toward the 
place where they had left the horse tied. He 
was tied to a post a little way out of the 
road just above the mill. There were several 
sleds and sleighs standing also on one side, but 
near the mill, — leaving the middle of the road 
clear. As they were thus returning their atten- 
tion was attracted by a sleigh coming along in 
the middle of the road up the valley in the same 
direction in which they had come. In the sleigh 
there was a boy about ten or twelve years old, 
and a girl by his side, apparently not more than 
four or five. The boy was driving, having the 
reins in one hand and the whip in the other, and 
the horse though on the trot was advancing at a 


UP THE VALLEY. 9 1 

moderate pace, as the road there was begin- 
ning to ascend. It continued to ascend, winding 
its way along the bank of the stream and among 
the trees, until it was lost to view at a turn 
above. But just at this instant August darted 
from Elvies side, rushed down into the road, 
jumped into the sleigh, seized the reins from the 
boy with one hand, and snatched the whip from 
him with the other, and instantly gave the horse 
a severe cut across the back with it, pulling at 
the same time hard with one of the reins. The 
horse sprang forward out of .the road into the 
loose snow, and one of the runners went up over 
a big log which was lying there so as nearly to 
upset the sleigh. 

Elvie had just time to see all this, and to hear 
the little scream of terror which the girl uttered at 
being thus dealt with by a stranger, when his 
attention was caught again by the sight of a 
pair of runaway horses attached to an empty 


92 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

. 

wood sled that was coming down the road upon 
the run, dangling straps and buckles about them, 
from the harness, and scattering loose boards 
and stakes upon the snow, from the sled, as they 
bounded along. August had just got the sleigh 
which contained the two children well out of the 
way, when the runaway team swept by like 
a tornado. 

They all instinctively followed it with their 
eyes for a moment, when they saw a young 
man who had seen it coming, as he stood at the 
door of the mill, rush out as if he were going to' 
try to intercept the flying horses. But instead 
of going out into the road, as Elvie had expect- 
ed to see him do, and there brandish his arms 
before the horses in the attempt to stop them, 
he stood quietly on one side as if to let them 
pass. 

“ Stop them ! Stop them !” cried out Elvie. 

The man, however, made no effort to stop 


UP THE VALLEY. 93 

the horses. He seemed rather to keep on one 
side a little, as if he wished to leave the way 
perfectly unobstructed and free to them. But 
the instant that their heads had passed the place 
where he was standing, he sprang forward, and 
grasping a stake which still remained in its 
place at the end of the sled, he leaped up on the 
bar or cross-piece which formed the end,’ and 
clung on desperately. For a moment it seemed 
uncertain whether he would succeed in making 
good his foothold, but he held on and gradually 
recovered an upright and secure position, when 
the whole group, horses, sled and man disap- 
peared among the trees at a turn in the road 
down the valley. 

“ He’ll stop them,” said a man who was stand- 
ing at the door of the mill, in the midst of a 
group that had come hastily to the door to see 
what was the matter. 

In the meantime August, finding that the 


94 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

danger was past, turned the horse which he had 
driven out of the road-way back toward the 
road again, — letting down the runner that had 
been raised upon the log as carefully as possible 
to its right level. The girl had started up from 
her seat, apparently a good deal frightened, and 
quite anxious lest the sleigh should be upset. 
As soon as the runners came fairly into the road, 
she settled herself back again into her seat, 
saying in a tone of great satisfaction. — 

“There!” 

The boy sat still as if stupefied with astonish- 
ment. August passed the reins and the whip 
back into his hands. He received them without 
speaking a word. August, who thought it was 
the boy’s business to speak if he had anything 
to say in thanks for his having been saved, 
through August’s presence of mind and prompt- 
ness of action, from being run over and having 
his sleigh perhaps dashed to pieces, said nothing 


UP THE VALLEY. 95 

either, but stepping out of the sleigh, returned to 
Elvie. 

He and Elvie then went to their sleigh. 
August stepped into it and took his seat, leav- 
ing Elvie to unfasten the horse and drive on. 

“You are driver,” said he to Elvie, “and so I 
don’t meddle with the horse.” 

“ That’s right,” said Elvie. Elvie was indeed 
pleased with having everything left in this way 
to his management. 

As they turned into the road and began 
to trot along at a gentle pace up the long ascent 
down which the runaway team had come so furi- 
ously, they saw the sleigh which August had 
apparently saved from destruction, at a short 
distance before them, and they soon observed 
that the boy who was driving it, hearing the sound 
of the bells behind him, turned his head to see 
who or what was coming. A moment afterward 
they saw the little girl who was sitting by his 


9 6 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

side, turning round and climbing up upon the 
seat, so that by kneeling upon it and taking 
hold of the upper part of the back of the sleigh 
she could look back down the road and see 
August and Elvie coming. 

Elvie was standing up at this time in the 
forward part of the sleigh. He often drove while 
thus standing up, — supporting himself in part 
by leaning against the dash board. He liked 
very much to do this, especially when the 
weather was sunny and pleasant. Besides the 
other advantages of this position, he obtained a 
better view of the road before him, as he could 
see over the horse’s back, — and if he was only a 
very little taller, he said, he could even see over 
the horse’s head. Besides by his standing up in 
this way, August had the seat in the sleigh left 
all to himself, and he could take the middle of 
it if he chose, and ride there quite at his ease 
like a gentleman at large. 


UP THE VALLEY. 97 

Of course the girl in the forward sleigh, in 
looking back, could see Elvie in his standing 
position very easily. She seemed quite excited 
at seeing him, and danced up and down on the 
seat — so far as the motion of springing from 
the kiiles can be called dancing — to express her 
gladness and joy. 

Elvie returned her salutation with a smile, 
and being somewhat encouraged by this she 
soon called out — 

“ Thank you !” 

Elvie not knowing exactly what to say in 
reply, and yet wishing to acknowledge her 
thanks in some way, took off his cap and waved 
it in the air. This was in fact the very best 
thing he could bave done. The child waved 
her hand in the air in reply. 

“ Thank you,” said the child again, after a 
moment’s pause, “thank you for not letting us 

get run over.” 

9 


98 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


Here it seemed to Elvie from certain move- 
ments made by the boy, that he was trying 
to induce the girl to turn round and sit down. 
At any rate she did so. Then the next thing 
that attracted Elvie’s attention was the sound of 
bells and of horses’ feet, as if some kind $f team 
was coming up behind him. He turned to look, 
and found that it was the runaway team which 
had so much startled them before, and which 
was now coming quietly up the valley. The 
man who had jumped upon the sled, after 
making sure his footing, had made his way very 
cautiously to the front part of it, had there 
skilfully recovered the reins, had gradually 
soothed and quieted the horses, and had finally 
stopped them, and was now on his return with 
them to restore them to their owner. 

Elvie turned his sleigh a little way out of the 
road to let them pass. This movement, and 
the approach of the team, attracted the child’s 


UP THE VALLEY. 99 

attention, and she turned round and climbed 
upon the seat again so as to look back and see. 
She seemed to say something to the boy, and he 
looked around, and then began to turn his horse 
too out of the road. When he had thus made 
way for the passing team he stood up in his 
sleigh and looked back toward Elvie ; and 
as both horses were now on the walk, on 
account of their being at this time in a some- 
what steep part of the road, there was a pretty 
good chance for them to speak to each other, 
though they were still at some distance apart. 
The boy in the forward sleigh, though he 
was looking back to see what was coming 
behind him, turned very frequently to see that 
his horse was going right. 

“ Ask him, ” said August — speaking in an 
undertone — “if he knows where Deacon Justin 
lives.” 

So Elvie called out to the boy in the forward 
sleigh, and asked the question. 


100 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


At first there was no ansvver. After a 
moment’s pause Elvie repeated the question. 

“ Yes,” said the boy. 

“ Well, where is it ?” asked Elvie. 

“I’ll show you when we get to it,” said the 
boy. 

He then turned around and sat down — as 
if he was not inclined to answer any more 
questions. The girl, however, remained kneel- 
ing. 

“We’ll show you when we get there,” said 
the girl repeating the boy’s answer in a 
somewhat louder voice, as if to make sure that 
Elvie heard it. 

The runaway team now went by — trotting 
briskly notwithstanding the ascent. The man 
who had captured it was sitting quite at his 
ease, and witn a very unconcerned air, upon 
a couple of ropes tied across between two stakes 
near the front, to form a seat. He looked at the 


UP THE VALLEY. 


IOI 


persons in both sleighs as he passed them, but 
said nothing. 

As he passed by them the two sleighs, one 
after the other, returned into the road and 
the horses trotted on. August and Elvie 
observed the scenery with much interest and 
attention as they rode along. * The way lay 
through a winding and fertile though some- 
what narrow valley, and there were many 
pleasant farm-houses to be seen here and there 
with signs of gardens and orchards, though 
almost all marks of cultivation were buried 
up in the snow. There were, however, many 
indications of movement and life, such as loads 
of wood coming down the road toward the 
village, and now and then a great log, — one end 
resting upon an ox-sled and the other sliding 
along in the road and making a smooth path 
through the snow, — and box-sleighs loaded with 

bags and firkins going down to the stores — and 
9 * 


102 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


once in a while a family sleigh taking a farmer 
and his wife, or two farmer’s girls to the village, 
to do their shopping. 

There were also a number of pleasant looking 
farmer houses along the road, plain and un- 
pretending, but quite homelike and attractive in 
appearance. By the side of each of them there 
was usually a good road leading up into a wide 
yard between the house and the barn, where 
cattle were seen standing in the sun, or sheep 
feeding upon hay spread around them on the 
snow. 

Into one of these yards Elvie saw the runaway 
team driven up, the place being the one where 
apparently it belonged. August and Elvie 
followed it with their eyes till it disappeared 
around a corner, and they saw it no more. 

They still went on following the boy in the 
sleigh before them, who had promised to show 
them where Deacon J ustin lived. After passing 


UP THE VALLEY. 103 

two or three farm-houses, such as have been 
described, the child in the forward sleigh 
kneeled upon the seat again, and pointed to 
a house at a short distance before them. It 
stood back a little from the road and had large 
yards and barns about it. The child pointed to 
the house, calling out 

“ That’s the place.” 

To Elvie’s great surprise the sleigh before 
them on arriving opposite this house, turned to 
go in at the road which led up to the yard. 

“ August,” said Elvie turning around suddenly 
to August, “ they are going to the same place. I 
verily believe that boy and girl are Quimbo and 
Fan.” 

“ I should not wonder if they were,” said 
August. 




CHAPTER VII. 

D e a co n J listin' s . 

~|__^ LVIE was right in his conjecture. The 
boy and girl in the sleigh before them were 
really Quimbo and Fan. They had been down 
into the village to do some errands, — or to 
execute some commissions, whichever way you 
choose to express it, for both phrases mean the 
same thing, — and were returning up the valley 
when they were saved from being run over 
through August’s presence of mind and prompt 
and energetic action. Quimbo drove his horse 
into the yard by the side of the house, and 
stopped not far from the end door. As soon as 
he stopped, Fan hopped out of the sleigh — as 

( 104 ) 


DEACON JUSTIN’S. . 105 

nimble as a bird — and ran into the house to tell 
of her escape. 

The door on that side opened into an entry, 
and thence by another door Fan passed into a 
large kitchen which extended along almost the 
whole length of the house on the back side. 
There were smaller rooms on one side of it, 
which smaller rooms formed the front part of 
the house. There was a large fire-place with an 
open fire on one side, and various other ap- 
purtenances appropriate to a farmer’s kitchen all 
around ; but everything was in perfect order. 

Near a window toward the back side of the 
room which looked out upon a sunny back yard, 
an elderly woman was seated at a small work- 
table mending stockings or doing some other 
similar work. 

Fan as soon as she came in ran to this woman, 
and cried out : 

“ Oh, grandmamma, we almost got run over, 


10 6 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

but a man saved us — a small man, or else it was 
a big boy. I don’t know exactly whether it was 
a man or a boy. But he is coming in to tell you 
about it, and then you will know. Here he 
comes now !” 

This last exclamation was called forth by 
a gentle tap which Fan heard at the door. It 
was Elvie that was knocking. As soon as 
the two sleighs had stopped, August had asked 
Quimbo if this ,was the house where Deacon 
Justin lived, and on being answered in the 
affirmative by a nod from Quimbo, he had sent 
Elvie in to inquire if Deacon Justin was at 
home, while he remained in the sleigh. 

Elvie was always ready to undertake com- 
missions of this kind, and was especially so on 
this occasion, as he was curious to see what had 
become of Fan. 

As soon as Fan heard his knock at the door, 
she scampered off towards one of the front 


DEACON JUSTIN’S. 107 

rooms, saying that she was going to tell her 
grandmother about it. 

The person whom Fan called her grand- 
mother was a very old lady who lived in a chair, 
so to speak, in one of the front rooms. She was 
really Fan’s ^raz^-grand mother. But as “ great- 
grandmother,” or “ great-grand-mamma,” would 
be an awkward appellation to use in common 
parlance, Fan had conceived the idea — in order 
to avoid the difficulty — of calling her real 
grandmother grand-mamma, and her great- 
grandmother grand-mother. 

Elvie as soon as he came in asked the woman 
at . the window if Deacon Justin was at home. 
She said he was not at home just then, but that 
he would be in soon. She also asked Elvie if 
there was any one with him. Elvie said that 
August was with him. 

The woman then, who proved to be Mrs. 
Justin, asked Elvie to go out and bring August in. 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


108 

“ Quimbo will tie your horse for you,” said 
she. “ But first tell me what Fan means about 
your saving them from getting run over.” 

Elvie began to explain the case, and while he 
was doing so his eyes fell upon Fan who was 
holding the door leading into her grandmother’s 
room open a little way, and peeping through. 
But the instant she observed that Elvie saw her 
she laughed and drew her face away, but then 
immediately put it back again, and so continued 
to do, as if playing at hide and seek with him. 
Elvie could not help smiling, and Mrs. Justin 
observed it ; and looking toward the door and 
seeing Fan there, said: 

“ Don’t be foolish, Fan. Come out here and 
see this young man, and show him some of your 
things.” 

“ He is not the man,” said Fan. “The other 
is the man.” 

But she did not come out, and Elvie went on 


DEACON JUSTIN’S. 


109 

with his account of the runaway affair. Fan 
disappeared from the door a moment, and then 
returned, and drawing back the door a very 
little farther held up her doll in the opening, 
watching Elvie all the time through the key- 
hole ; and then the moment that she saw him 
looking she would catch the doll away. She 
considered this perhaps a kind of compromise 
between obedience to her grandmamma’s 
direction to come and show Elvie some of 
her things and her own desire to continue her 
play. 

After Elvie had finished his account of the 
runaway accident, he went out and delivered his 
message to August and to Quimbo. Quimbo 
did not say a word in reply, but led the horse 
to a hook attached ta one of the posts of the 
fence at one side of the yard, and then August 
and Elvie went into the house. Mrs. Justin 

received them in a very friendly manner, feeling 

10 


I IO 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


as she did very thankful for the assistance they 
had rendered in the case of the runaway team. 
August handed her the letter which he had 
brought from Mr. Woodman. She received it, 
and seeing that it was addressed to her husband, 
she laid it down upon the little work-table near 
her, saying : 

“ Mr. Justin will be at home very soon I think. 
He went to the wood lot about an hour ago, and 
it is time for him to return.” 

Saying this she invited the boys to take seats 
near the fire, and entered into conversation 
with them about the runaway team. 

August and Elvie were not cold, but it was 
pleasant to sit by such a grand fire, glowing too 
in so capacious a fire-place. The wood was 
large, and the big forestick rested on two 
immense andirons, with tops bent over and 
forming a curve at the summit by way of finish 
and ornament. 


DEACON JUSTIN’S. Ill 

They had scarcely taken their seats when 
Mrs. Justin looking out at the window said that 
she saw her husband coming. In a few minutes 
he entered the room. He was quite an elderly 
man, and very grave and sedate *in his ap- 
pearance. Elvie at once decided that he was 
very stern if not cross, — and made up his mind 
that he should not like him, and should not be 
willing to stay at his house: At least he said to 
himself that if it were not for Fan he should not 
think of such a thing. 

Mr. Justin nodded to the boys as he came in, 
but did not speak to them. His wife held up 
the letter which they had brought, and he went 
and took it. He then went to a part of the 
room where there was a kind of desk with a 
sloping lid closing up the front of it — such as is 
common in the country — drew out the slides in 
front made to support the lid when the desk 
is opened, turned down the lid upon the slides 


1 12 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


and laid the letter upon it. Then he took off 
his coat and hung it up in the entry, and finally 
returned to his desk, took a seat before it in an 
arm-chair, and began to open -the letter very 
deliberately. He found that there were in fact 
two letters — one enclosed within the other. 

He read the letters twice, apparently in a 
very thoughtful manner. Then Jie looked up at 
the boys. 

“You are August I suppose?” he said looking 
to August. 

“ Yes, sir,” said August. 

“ And has Mr. Grant sent you two boys 
off alone on this expedition ?” he asked. 

“Yes sir,” said August. 

“Then,” rejoined the Deacon after a short 
pause, “ I think you must be two very re- 
markable boys.” 

August, not knowing what to say in reply to 
this remark, said nothing. It is an excellent 


DEACON JUSTIN’S. 


113 

general rule for us, when we do not know what 
to say, to say nothing ; just as it is also 
generally best when it is not clear what to do, 
to do nothing. 

The Deacon looked at the boys a moment in 
a *somewhat scrutinizing manner, moving his 
eyes from one to the other as if considering 
what to do. Elvie determined in his own mind 
that Fan or no Fan he would never consent to 
stay in a house with such a man as that for the 
head of it. 

“Well,” said Deacon Justin at last, after a 
few minutes’ pause, and rising from his seat as 
he spoke, “we must take a little time to- 
consider this question. In the meanwhile you 
must have something to eat. It is time for 
luncheon. Can’t you give them a little luncheon, 
grandmamma ?” 

Deacon Justin had fallen into the habit of 
lling his wife grandmamma in imitation of 


1 14 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

Fan. He had adopted this usage when Fan 
came to live at his house, on the death of her 
parents. 

“Fanny,” continued Mr. Justin, turning to 
Fan, who was standing demurely at one side, 
with her hands behind her, waiting apparently 
to see how things were going to turn out, 
“ Fanny, can you help set the table and give the 
boys some luncheon. Perhaps you would be 
willing to give them one of your pies.” 

“Yes indeed,” said Fan, beginning at once to 
jump up and down a little as if greatly pleased. 
“ I’ll give them two. They will need two, one for 
each of them.” 

“ Oh no,” said August, “ one will be enough.* 
Fan immediately went to work assisting her 
grandmamma to prepare a table at the side 

of the room for the boys’ luncheon. Mr. Justin 

> 

told August and Elvie that they had bett 
wait before deciding upon anything till 


DEACON JUSTIN’S. 1 1 5 

had looked about the house and farm a little, 
so as to see how they should like the place. 

“You can go out and ask Quimbo to put up 
your horse while they are getting the luncheon 
ready,” said he, “and you can stay here and 
spend the day. Quimbo is going out into the 
woods soon with a sled to bring in a load of 
wood, and you can go out with him if you like, 
and see how the land lies. You can ride 
out with him on the sled, but you will have to 
walk back nearly a mile, unless you take a hand 
sled with you, and ride back on that, drawn 
along by the ox-sled.” 

So August and El vie went out to find Quimbo, 
and to make the arrangements with him that 
Deacon Justin had suggested. When they told 
Quimbo that he was to put- up their horse, and 
that they were to go with him to the wood lot, 
he simply said “ Good !” 

This was not very much it is true, but it was 


II 6 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

satisfactory to the boys, as far as it went, 
as showing that Quimbo, notwithstanding his 
taciturnity, was pleased with the idea of having 
their company. The boys helped him to un- 
harness the horse, and followed him into the 
stable to see him put the horse into a stall and 
give him some hay. 

Elvie was much interested in what he saw in 
the stable, and in the yards adjacent to it — the 
stalls, the cattle feeding in them, the sheep 
feeding at the racks in the adjoining sheds, and 
the little flocks of poultry, consisting of turkeys, 
geese and hens. When at length the first 
impulse of his curiosity about these things was 
in some degree gratified, he and August* returned 
to the house. They found that Deacon Justin 
had gone, and his desk was closed; but the table 
was all ready for their luncheon. The luncheon 
consisted of a small pie — : about half the size of 
an ordinary one — and a pitcher of very rich 


DEACON JUSTIN’S. 


II 7 

creamy milk, with two pretty mugs to drink it 
from. One of the mugs had the name Frances 
marked upon it in gilt letters. This was indeed 
Fan’s mug. It was selected for her by her 
grandfather from a number of mugs in Mr. 
Woodman’s store, on account of this name being 
upon it. Frances being Fan’s real name. There 
were also of course plates, and knives and 
forks, for the pie. 

The boys took their seats at the table and 4 
began to eat their luncheon with excellent 
appetites, for they had done so much business 
since breakfast, and passed through so many 
different scenes that they began to be quite 
hungry. They tried to persuade Fan to come 
and join them, but as soon as they proposed 
it she ran off into her grandmother’s room and hid. 

“ Oh, Fan,” said her grandmamma, “ don’t be 
so foolish. Come back and take a piece of 
your pie.” 


1 1 8 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“ I’m sorry she is so shy,” added Mrs. Justin 
speaking to the boys. But she’ll get acquainted 
by and by.” 

The boys finished their luncheon, and then 
putting on their coats and caps they went out 
to see what preparations Quimbo had made for 
taking them out into the woods. As they were 
passing through the entry Elvie said, 

“ I thought he was going to be rather a cross 
man, but it was very nice in him to think 
of giving us a luncheon, at any rate ; and it was 
a very nice luncheon too.” 

“ Yes,” said August. “ And I find it often 
happens that people we think we are not going 
to like at first, turn out to be very nice people 
after all.” 






CHAPTER VIII. 


Gaining Information. 


August and Elvie went out they 

found a yoke of oxen and a sled in 

the middle of the yard, apparently all ready. 

There was moreover a large hand-sled — of the 

frame kind — attached by its rope to the hinder- 

most bar of the ox-sled. 

“ Good,” said Elvie. “That is the sled that 

we are to ride home on.” 

Quimbo was coming toward the ox-sled with 

a couple of ropes in his hand. 

“ Are you all ready ?” asked Elvie. 

Quimbo shook his head but did not speak. 

He proceeded to the ox-sled, and throwing one 

( 119 ) 


120 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


of the ropes down upon the snow he began 
to tie one end of the other rope around the 
second stake on the right-hand side. 

“Ah,” said Elvie, “he is going to make us a 
rope seat.” 

Elvie recollected seeing a rope seat, made by 
drawing a rope twice across from the second stake 
on the right side to the second stake on the left 
side, in the sled of the runaway team — making 
a seat for the driver in the sag between. He 
supposed that Quimbo was going to do the 
same, but he saw that when Quimbo had 
fastened one end of the rope to the second 
right-hand stake, instead of carrying it across to 
the second left-hand stake, he carried it along 
the side of the sled to the third one on the right 
hand. 

“That is not the way,” said Elvie. “You 
ought to carry it across.” 

Quimbo shook his head but did not speak. 


GAINING INFORMATION. 12 1 

“ He is going to make us ride sideways,” said 
Elvie. 

Ouimbo seemed to smile, though it was in a 
somewhat furtive manner, but went on with his 
work. When he had made what Elvie called a 
“ side-seat,” formed by carrying the rope back 
and forth once or twice between the two right- 
hand stakes, he went to the left-hand side and 
proceeded there in the same manner. Elvie 
stepped up on the sled, and walking along on 
the boards which formed the floor of it, sat 
down upon the ropes which Quimbo had 
stretched between the two stakes. 

“ It is a very good seat,” said he, “ only we 
have to ride sideways.” 

Quimbo smiled again, a little more perceptibly 
than before. He however went on steadily with 
his work, until he had made another side-seat — - 
as Elvie considered it — between the two left- 


hand stakes. 

li 


22 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


The truth was that a seat formed of ropes 
passing across from side to side, though it is 
comfortable enough for one person sitting in the 

middle, will not answer at all for three, as the 

• 

sag of the rope would tilt the outside ones in 
toward the one in the centre, so as to make the 
position uncomfortable for all. Quimbo, who 
knew this very well, was carrying into effect a 
different plan — which consisted in making rope 
supports on the sides, to sustain a board seat to 
pass across between them. Accordingly after 
securing his ropes in a proper manner, he went 
into the barn, and bringing out a board of the 
right length and width, which he kept for this 
purpose, he laid it upon the two supports, one 
end upon each. This board formed an excellent 
seat, which, while it kept itself rigidly in a 
horizontal position, admitted of a slight swinging 
and springing motion to make it easy, through 
the elasticity of the ropes. 


GAINING INFORMATION. 1 23 

“ Ah yes ! ” said Elvie, “ now I understand.” 
He had risen when he saw Quimbo coming with 
the board, and then at once took his seat at one 
end of the board when it was in place. August 
at once took his seat at the other end, leaving a 
place for Quimbo in the middle. 

They soon set out. The way led through a 
kind of lane where there was a well beaten track. 
The bars were all taken out of the way, and the 
gates were set open, as usual in the winter, so 
that there were no obstructions, and the oxen 
seemed to know the way. Quimbo answered 
such questions as the boys asked him, but he 
generally answered in monosyllables, and seemed 
very little inclined to conversation. There was 
something however in his air and bearing which 
led the boys to imagine that he was glad they 
were going with him, notwithstanding his ex- 
treme taciturnity. 

The road soon began to descend by a long 


1 24 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

winding way toward what seemed to be a pond. 
It was in fact another mill pond, formed upon 
the Granville Valley stream by a dam a short 
distance below Deacon Justin’s farm. The 
surface of this pond was formed of alternate 
patches of hardened snow and of smooth glassy 
ice. A few boys were skating upon the ice, for 
the patches were connected with each other in 
such a way that the boys could pass from one 
to another, so as to traverse quite long distances 
without going over any snow. 

“ Why, August ! ” said Elvie, “ here is a 
splendid skating place !” 

“ Yes,” said August. “ It will be a very 
splendid one if there should come a thaw so as 
to melt all the snow upon the ice, and afterward 
freeze it all smooth.” 

“ Is it ever so, Quimbo ?” asked Elvie. 

“ Oh yes,” said Quimbo, “ very often.” 

“And does Deacon Justin let you go and 
skate upon it at such times ?” asked Elvie. 


GAINING INFORMATION. 125 

“ Oh yes,” said Quimbo, “ always. He is very 
willing to let me play. He says I don’t get 
play enough.” 

Then Quimbo, as if frightened at hearing 
himself speak so many words, relapsed into 
silence, and said no more for a long time. 

The road that descended the hill entered upon 
the ice at the foot of it and so passed across the 
pond. The boys could see the track winding its 
way over the patches of ice and snow, and after- 
ward it disappeared in a copse of trees and bushes 
on the opposite bank. 

The oxen and sled moved slowly on, down 
upon the ice, and across the ice to the opposite 
shore, and then ascending again to the land the 
whole party entered the wood. Very soon the 
boys began to hear the echoes of an axe, as of a 
woodman felling trees. 

“ Hark !” said Elvie. 

“It is Timothy,” said Quimbo, “getting out 
wood.” 


11* 


126 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


The plan of the work was, it seems, for Timothy 
to remain in the wood lot felling the trees, and 
then cutting the trunks into the right lengths, 
and splitting them to the right thickness, for 
easy loading upon the sled ; and then, when 
Quimbo came with a team, to help him load the 
sled. When the party of boys arrived at the 
spot, they found him at work upon a fresh tree 
which was just ready to fall. They stopped the 
oxen and waited to see the tree come down. It 
began at first with a very slow, and indeed 
scarcely perceptible motion, and moving faster 
and faster, it ended with a mighty crash as it 
came down to the ground. 

August, as soon as he .understood what the 
plan of the work was, told Timothy that he and 
Elvie would help Quimbo load the sled, so that 
he — that is Timothy — might go on with his work 
of felling more trees and getting ready more 
wood. 


GAINING INFORMATION. 1 27 

“ Good,” said Elvie. “I like that. I’ll help load, 
and then I can see another tree come down.” 

August and Elvie accordingly began the work 
of loading the sled, following the directions of 
Quimbo in respect to the wood which they were 
to take, and the manner in which they were to 
place it upon the sled. Elvie had the pleasure 
of seeing one other tall tree come down while 
they were doing their work, and he became so 
much interested in the operation that he proposed 
to August that they should remain in the woods 
helping Timothy until Quimbo should return 
for another load. But August thought it best to 
adhere to the original plan, and go back with 
the first load. Accordingly when the load was 
ready they fastened the hand-sled securely 
behind, and he and August, riding a part of the 
time upon the hand-sled, and walking a part of 
the time with Quimbo by the side of the oxen, 
returned to the house. 


128 GRANVILLE yALLEY. 

They helped Quirnbo to unload the sled, 
laying the wood as they did so in the continua- 
tion of a long pile which was gradually extend- 
ing itself along one side of the yard. Then they 
were summoned by a bell to dinner. The 
dinner was a plain farmer’s dinner, but it was 
abundant, and made sumptuous with puddings 
and pies at the end. 

After dinner Deacon Justin put on his coat 
and cap, saying that he was obliged to go away, 
and then added : 

“ We won’t absolutely decide this question to- 
day,” said he. “ You see a little how things are 
here, and I should be very glad to have you 
conclude to stay here. But you must not decide 
hastily. People that decide in haste often have 
to repent at leisure. The principal difficulty 
will be a place to put you at night, — but perhaps 
we can fix up P'an’s chamber as we call it — that 
is a chamber that is going to be hers when we 


GAINING INFORMATION. 1 29 

get it finished. Fan will go up and shew you 
her room, and you will see whether you think 
you can make it answer.” 

Deacon Justin had some further conversation 
with August, in which he said that if on mature 
reflection he and Elvie concluded that they 
would like to come to his house, he would 
receive them on certain terms* which he named, 
as to board. Moreover if he — August — wished 
to attend the academy, as it might be rather far 
to walk, he could have a sleigh to ride down 
every morning provided that Elvie would drive. 

“ Can you drive, Elvie?” he asked, turning to 
Elvie. 

“ Oh yes, sir,” said Elvie. “ I drove on horse- 
back all through Massachusetts and New York.” 

Elvie referred, in saying this, to the expedi- 
tion which he made with August, and which is 
described at length in the volume of this series 
entitled “ Hunter and Tom.” 


30 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“ Then you can certainly drive to the village 
and back,” said Deacon Justin. “And then I 
should know that you might be trusted with 
such a duty as that by your looks. And besides 
you can be of some service to us by doing this, 
for you can take Fan in the sleigh with you and 
leave her at her school, which is about a quarter 
of a mile down the road. And indeed, when 
the mornings are not too cold, she can go with 
you away into the village to the academy and 
you can leave her at her school when you come 
back.” 

Fan seemed greatly exhilarated with this idea, 
and jumped about the room — her countenance 
beaming with delight — to express her pleasure. 

After saying this and many more things 
necessary to give August and Elvie a full un- 
derstanding of the case, Deacon Justin went 
away. Fan immediately offered to guide the 
boys to her room. 


GAINING INFORMATION. 1 3 1 

“ I call it my room,” said she, “ but it is not 
mine yet, for it is not all made. They are going 
to finish it some day, and then when I get 
bigger — too big for my trundle bed — I’m going 
to live in it and have some books.” 

The room, when the boys were conducted to 
it, they found was quite unfinished. The floor 
was laid and the doors and windows were in, 
and the walls and ceiling were plastered, and 
there was a fireplace, where, however, there ap- 
peared never to have been any fire ; but the 
room was not painted or papered, and there was 
no furniture in it of any kind. The ceiling in 
the centre was flat for a considerable space, but 
on each side it was sloping, on account of the 
roof ; for the room was made in a kind of 
an attic over an addition to the house on the 
kitchen side. It was, however, connected with 
the main body of the house, and with the stairs 
leading down, by a very pretty little passage- 


132 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


way. There was a door on the other side which 
opened upon another passage-way, at the end of 
which was a flight of back stairs. 

“ Here will be a nice place for my bed,” said 
August in passing through this passage-way. 
“They can put me up some kind of a cot bed 
here, and a curtain before it, and there is a place 
where I can put a cleat up, with a row of nails 
to hang up my clothes.” 

The boys then went back into the room again. 
Elvie was very much pleased with the aspect of 
it. “ It was so cunning,” as he said. August 
said he was sure that Elvie’s father would be 

% 

willing to have them expend what was necessary 
to finish and furnish it. 

“But I don’t want anything done,” said Elvie. 
“ I like it just as it is — if they will only put in a 
bed and a table. And here,” he added, “is a 
little closet to hang up my clothes in. 

“ Only,” he added on looking in, “there are 


GAINING INFORMATION. 1 33 

no nails yet. And there is no door. But that’s 
no great matter.” 

“I’m sure,” said August, “that your father 
will be willing to have us spend all the money 
that is necessary to put everything in order, and 
to get some furniture. And then think how 
pleased Fan will be to find her room all ready 
for her when we go away.” 

Elvie was ready at once to concur in the plan 
of finishing and furnishing the room in view of 
this aspect of the case. Fan seemed much 
pleased too. “ I can come up here and sit by 
the window,” she said, “ and have it for my play 
room before I get too big for my trundle bed.” 

After remaining in the room for some time, 

and deciding where the bed and the table, and 

various other principal articles of furniture should 

be placed, Fan led the way down the back stairs, 

and August and Elvie followed her. These 

stairs descended to a passage-way on the lower 
12 


134 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


floor which led out to some back rooms and to 
the shop, and to a side door leading out to the 
sheds and the barns. This, August said, would 
be very convenient for them in case they wished 
to get up early in the morning, and to go down 
without any danger of disturbing the family. 

After some further conversation with Mrs. 
Justin, who seemed to be a very kind and 
motherly woman, the boys bade her good-bye 
saying that they would come up the next day 
or the day after, to tell her what decision they 
had come to. August said that perhaps he 
should wait until he could hear from Elvie’s 
father before he positively decided. The boys 
then went out into the yard and found Quimbo 
coming in with his first afternoon load of wood. 
They helped him unload it, and then he with 
their assistance harnessed their horse into the 
sleigh, and they set out on their return down the 
valley. 



Plan of S tu dy . 


“ ^^SyTELL, August,” said Elvie, as the horse 
began to trot along the road with 
them on their return down the valley, “ what do 
you think of it ? Have you made up your 
mind ?” 


"No,” said August. "We have only been 
gaining information thus far. We have got to 
think of it now, and then make up our minds after 
we have thought about it.” 

“ And what do you think about it ?” 

“ Why, it looks as if it would be a pleasant 
place for us, but whether the plan of our going 
there will work well or not will depend upon 
how much of a man you are.” 


(135) 


1 3 6 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

“ How so ?” asked Elvie. 

“Why, if we board at Deacon Justin’s, and I 
go to the academy every day, you will be left 
alone to study every day for two hours, after 
you get back from taking me down to the 
village. Now when you get back, and Quimbo 
unharnesses the horse, and is just ready to set 
off with his team to go into the woods, there 
will be nobody to see that you go to your room 
to your studies but yourself. The temptation 
will be very great for you to stay and play 
about while Quimbo is getting ready, and even 
to go with him to help him to get his load. 
Now the first question is whether you would be 
man enough to take care of yourself about it, 
and to go to your studies of your own accord, 
as soon as you get back from the village, without 
there being anybody there to see that you did it.” 

“ Perhaps Mrs. Justin might see to it,” said 
Elvie, speaking, however, rather hesitatingly. 


PLAN OF STUDY. 


137 


“ That might do,” said August, “ if you were 
a small boy four or five years old, but I should 
not quite like to put a boy so old as you under 
the charge of a woman to see that he attended 
to duties which he might just as well attend to 
himself.” 

“No,” said Elvie. “ I should rather attend to 
it myself ! But when should you have me say 
my lessons?” 

“You would not have any lessons to say,” 
replied August. “ I talked with your father 
expressly about that. He said that he did not 
care about your learning any lessons. It would 
be time enough to come to that when you go to 
school. For this winter what you had to do was 
not to learn lessons, but to practice arts!' 

“ To practice arts ! ” replied Elvie with 
surprise. He could not imagine what August 
meant. 

“Yes,” said August. “There are four arts, 
12* 


138 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

he said, which he wished you to acquire skill 
in, by practice, and that was all that he 
wished you to do. These four arts are 
reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic. He 
said that for this winter he did not care about 
your learning and reciting any lessons at all, 
if you would only practice, steadily arid carefully 
for two hours each day, those four arts, — half an 
hour for each one. It would be best I suppose 
to take arithmetic for the first.” 

"But who would show me how to do the 
sums ?” said Elvie. 

“ You must do such as you know how to do 
already,” said August. “ That’s what your 
father said. He does not care so much, he said, 
about your learning how to do new things, but 
only to acquire readiness, and skill, and 
certainty, in doing old ones. He said you might 
open your book anywhere, and copy the sums 
upon your slate, or upon a leaf in your copy- 


PLAN OF STUDY. 1 39 

book, and do them. If you find them too hard, 

you must turn back to where they are easier. 

What he is most particular about, he said, was 

adding. A boy that can add readily and surely 

without counting , can go on very fast with 

everything else in the arithmetic, but if he gets 

puzzled and makes mistakes in adding, or has to 

count, by drumming with his fingers on the slate, 

he will be continually getting into difficulty in 

everything that comes afterwards. So that 

what you will have to do in the arithmetic half 

hour will be to find and copy upon your slate 

sums easy enough for you to know how to do 

them, but yet hard enough to afford you some 

useful practice in the work, and then show me 
% 

how much you have done when I get home.” 

“ I could do that well enough,” said Elvie. 

‘‘Yes, you could ,” said August, “but the 
question is whether you would. Most boys left 
to themselves at such work, would do one or 


140 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

two sums and then .would spend their time 

in looking out the window to see the snow 

flakes, or the snow birds if there were any there 

• — or in watching the sand in the half-hour glass, 

and shaking the glass to make the sand run 

faster.” 

“ The half-hour glass ?” repeated Elvie, in an 
enquiring tone. 

“Yes,” replied August. “Your father recom- 
mended to me to get a half-hour glass for you 
to study by, and I did. It is in my trunk.” 

“ I am glad of it,” said Elvie. “ I shall like to 
study by a half-hour glass.” 

“ It is a very good time-measurer to study 
by,” said August, “ if you don’t spend too much 
time in watching the sand.” 

“What are the other arts that I am to 
practice ?” asked Elvie. 

“The second is reading,” replied August. “A 
boy can learn to improve in reading almost as 


PLAN OF STUDY. 


141 

well in reading to himself as he can in reading 
to a teacher, if he will only take an interest in 
his improvement, and watch himself to see that 
he reads slowly and carefully, and does not skip 
or miscall any of the words. For this purpose 
you must have some simple and entertaining 
story book to read, that will not have in it any- 
thing that requires much thought to divert your 
mind from your manner of reading .” 

“ That will be only fun,” said Elvie, “ to read 
such a book as that.” 

“ It will be very useful fun nevertheless,” said 
August, “if you do it right. You must turn 
your chair around and take a good position, and 
imagine you have somebody in the room to 
listen to you, and must read distinctly and 
carefully, with all the right tones of voice, as 
if you were reading to some person or persons 
and were trying to make them understand 
distinctly what you were reading. You can 


142 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


imagine that Fan is there if you please, and that 
you are reading the story to her.” 

“Yes,” said Elvie looking around eagerly to 
August as they rode along in the sleigh, “ some 
days perhaps, when it is stormy, and she does 
not go to school, I can have her up in my room 
for my audience.” 

£ That will be an excellent plan,” said August, 

“ provided that you do not stop to talk and play 

after the half-hour glass is turned and your 

reading half hour has commenced. If she 

speaks to you at any time to ask questions, or 
% 

to talk about the story, you must turn down the 
half-hour glass upon its side, and stop the sand 
from running till you are ready to begin again. 
You see you must have the whole half hour for 
reading.” 

“Yes,” said Elvie. “I’ll be honest.” 

“ I have no doubt you will be honest,” said 
August, “ but you might forget.” 


PLAN OF STUDY. 


x 43 


“ I’ll try not to forget,” said Elvie. 

“ I would try faithfully,” said August, “ if I 
were you ; for you will want to have your father 
see, when you go back to New York, that his 
plan of trusting to you has succeeded, and that 
you have learned to read in a correct and fluent 
manner.” 

“What is fluent ?” asked Elvie. 

“Why, right along ,” said August — “without 
stopping and hesitating and stumbling over the 
words.” 

August’s definition was perhaps well calculated 
to give Elvie a good practical idea of the import 
of the word. The original and exact meaning 
of it is, however, simply flowing. 

“You might even sometimes,” said August, 
“when Fan is at school, take your book down 
stairs and read a story to Mrs. Justin, when she 
is ironing or sewing or doing some other kind of 
work that will not prevent her listening.” 


144 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“ Good !” said Elvie. “ I should like that 
very much. Only perhaps she would not care 
about my kind of stories.” 

“Yes,” said August. “I have brought some 
books of short stories for you to read, that she 
will like to hear. She can tell them afterward 
to Fan if she likes. These books are to be kept 
expressly for your reading lessons. You are not 
to read them except when you read aloud for 
practice.” 

“ Well,” said Elvie after a short pause, “ there 
are two half-hours. Now for the other two.” 

“ The third is writing,” said August. “ I have 
got a nice blank book in my trunk, for you 
to write in.” 

“ And you’ll set me the copies ?” said Elvie. 

“No,” replied August. “You will not have 
any copies. You know how to make all the 
letters now, and if I find, in looking over your 
work, that you are in the habit of making any 


PLAN OF STUDY. 1 45 

one of them wrong, I will shew you on a separate 
slip of paper how to make it right. What you 
want now, your father said, is careful practice of 
continuous writing, and the best way to get that 
is to copy something out of a book. So you are 
to copy into your book anything that you find in 
the books and papers that you would like to have 
— anecdotes — poetry — riddles — conundrums — 
and all such things, taking care to arrange them 
right and to put in the proper headings, and to 
notice how the words are spelled and what stops 
are put in ; that is doing everything correctly and 
properly as it is in the book that you copy from. 
Your father says that if you can only be induced 
to write in this manner with care and attention 
— without ever doing any hasty work — you will 
learn writing, spelling and punctuation, all 
together, faster than in any other way. And 
then you see when I am at home in the evening, 
I can look over your work and see how you get 

along.” 

13 


146 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

Elvie paused a moment to reflect upon this 
method of learning writing, spelling and punc- 
tuation all in one, and then said : 

“ Well there are three of the half hours, now 
for the fourth. What is the fourth art that I am 
to practice ?” 

“ The fourth half hour is not for practicing an 
art, but for acquiring knowledge. You see in 
the third half hour you take two arts at a time 
writing and spelling. That finishes with the 
arts; arithmetic in the first, reading in the 
second, and writing and spelling in the third. 
In the fourth half hour you are to take some 
book of useful knowledge, read a portion of it 
carefully, and take notes.” 

“ Take notes ?” repeated Elvie. “ I don’t know 
how to take notes.” 

“It is easy enough,” replied August. “ You 
have a slip of paper and a pencil by the side of 
you, when you read, and you make memoranda 


PLAN OF STUDY. 1 47 

upon the paper of anything you don’t quite 
understand and want to ask me about, — and also 
of any date or any other circumstance that you 
might forget ; or of anything that you will 
wish to tell me about. Then when I come home 
and look over the work that you have done, I 
shall see the notes you have made on the slip, 
and you will tell me what you read and ask me 
any questions about it. You see the book which 
you have in the second half hour — for practicing 
in the art of reading — will be some entertaining 
story, very easily understood, and containing no 
special information. But for your fourth half 
hour it will be a book of useful knowledge. Your 
father chose a book for you. It is called The 
Autobiography of Franklin.” 

“ I never heard of that book,” said Elvie. 

“ No,” replied August, “ I suppose not. It is 
an account of the life of a very distinguished 


man. 


148 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

“ Is it interesting ?” asked Elvie. 

“ I don’t know whether you will find it 
interesting or not,” replied August. “ Your 
father did not choose it because it would be 
interesting, but because it contained information 
important for you. In your first reading half 
hour you will have books that are interesting, 
but m this half hour a book is chosen that 
contains what is useful to know. So your 
father said that in this half hour you must read, 
not for the pleasure of the reading at the time, 
but for the profit of learning what the reading 
lesson teaches you.” 

In the midst of this conversation in respect to 
the plans for Elvie’s studies the boys came in 
sight of a school-house by the side of the road. 
At the time they passed it, it appeared to be 
shut up, and there was nobody near it, — but 
the show was well trampled down all around the 
door, and in the yard, and there was a large pile 


PLAN OF STUDY. 1 49 

of wood — some of it ready prepared for the fire 
— under a small shed at one end. These signs 
shewed that the school-house was only tempo- 
rarily deserted. Indeed the school for the day 
was done, and the children had all gone home. 

“ I verily believe that this is the school that 
Fan goes to,” said Elvie. 

“Yes,” said August, “ and that is where you 
will have to leave her every morning.” 

“ When it is a pleasant day,” said Elvie, “ we 
will start early and give Fan a long ride down to 
the village and back.” 

“ Yes,” said August. 

“ And when I come back if the school has not 
begun, and the children are out upon the steps, 
I’ll give them all a ride a little way up the 
road.” 

“Yes,” said August. 

“ Or at least as many as can get into the 

sleigh,” added Elvie, after thinking a moment. 

13 * 


i5o 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“Yes,” said August. 

“ And as can cling to the runners,” continued 

9 

Elvie. “ Some of the boys can ride on the 
runners. They would rather do it than to get 
into the sleigh.” 

“ I think they would,” said August, “ that is if 
they are only big enough to hold on. It would 
please them all very much, and brighten up their 
spirits for the whole day, to give them such a 
ride. That would be doing a great deal of good 
in a very easy way.” 

“ If there was not room enough for them all 
in and on the sleigh,” continued Elvie, growing 
more and more interested in the idea of giving 
the children a ride, “ some of them could fasten 
their sleds on behind, and ride in that way.” 

The more Elvie thought of this plan, the better 
he was pleased with it. Indeed it is a general 
principle that not only is it true that the more 
good a person does the more pleasure he takes 


PLAN OF STUDY. 1 5 I 

in doing good, — but even the act of thinking of 
it, and planning for it, increases his interest in 
the work. One of the best ways consequently 
of making a selfish person kind-hearted and 
benevolent — or at least of commencing the 
change — is to induce him by some means to 
make some one little experiment of promoting 
the welfare or happiness of his fellow creatures. 

At one of the farm-houses that they passed, 
Elvie’s attention was attracted to a barn-yard 
where a number of cattle were standing, and 
among them some half-grown calves. This set 
Elvie’s thoughts to running in a new direction. 

“ Look at those big calves, August,” said he. 
“ I should like one of them to ride. I recollect 
seeing a picture once of a boy riding horseback 
on a calf.” 

st Horseback on a calf,” repeated August, 
laughing. 

“ Well, at any rate he was on the calf’s back, 


152 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

and he had a kind of bridle that he was going to 
guide the calf by. But I remember that the calf 
had his legs braced forward, as if he was meaning 
not to go.” 

“ That’s what I should have done,” said 
August, “ if I had been the calf.” 

“Do you think that Deacon Justin would be 
willing to have me bridle one of his calves,” said 
Elvie, “ and ride him ? ” 

“ Why he seems rather a kind-hearted man,” 
said August, “ and so I should think it possible 
he might let you if he thought you were boyish 
enough to care for any such nonsense. He 
might, however, think that you were big enough 
to choose to have a real horse to ride, rather than 
such a sham and make-believe as a calf.” 

On the whole,” said Elvie, “ I think I should 
prefer a horse,” 

“ I have no doubt,” said August, “ that we can 
make an arrangement by which you can have a 


I 


PLAN OF STUDY. 1 53 

horse as much as you like, as soon as the 
weather softens and the roads become open, 
towards the spring.” 

“ That will be the best plan,” said Elvie, 
“ decidedly.” 

The boys being occupied with such thoughts 
and such conversation as is above described, the 
time passed very quickly with them, and the 
road down the valley seemed quite short. They 
arrived in the village and drove up to the door 
of the tavern about half an hour before the sun 
went down. August went into the house, and 
left Elvie to take the sleigh round to the stable. 


CHAPTER X. 




Correspondence . 

^\^UGUST went directly to his room on 
entering the tavern, and at once took out 
his writing materials, and commenced a letter to 
Elvie’s father, giving him a full account of his 
inquiries and negotiations in finding a place for 
Elvie and himself. He thought, it is true, that 
he was fully authorized to close the arrange- 
ment with Deacon Justin, and to expend what 
was necessary to make the room comfortable 
for Elvie. But since it would only cause a short 
delay to report to Mr. Grant, and to obtain his 
sanction to the plan, he thought it best to wait 

for this in order to feel sure that he was right. 

154 


CORRESPONDENCE. 1 55 

So he went to his room, replenished the fire — 
which had by this time become rather low — 
drew a chair up to the table, took out his writing 
materials, and by the time that Elvie came in 
from the stable he had made a very good 
beginning upon his letter. 

As soon as Elvie came in he began at once to 
talk, as if he did not observe that August was 
engaged in writing — as boys of his age are very 
apt to do in such cases. 

“ Now, Elvie,” said August, “ you must not 
interrupt me more than you can help, for I am 
writing a letter to your father, and I have as 
much as I can do to get my letter done in time 
to mail it to-night, so that it can go out to- 
morrow morning. I advise you to get out your 
writing materials and begin a letter to your 
father yourself, so that it may go with mine.” 

“ Oh no,” said Elvie, in a somewhat fretful 
tone. “ I am tired, and I don’t feel like writing 
this afternoon.” 


156 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

‘‘Just as you please,” said August, “I only 
advise.” 

“ But I don’t know what to say.” 

“ Get your paper ready,” said August, “ and 
date it, and be ready to begin, and I’ll tell you 
what to say.” 

“ I don’t see how you can do that,” rejoined 
Elvie, “ without interrupting your own writing.” 

“ You have nothing to do with that,” said 
August. “ That is my business. All you have 
to do is to get ready to begin. You may 
get ready or not just as you please, but ' 
you conclude not to do it, please not speak 
to me till I have finished my letter.” 

So August went on writing, while Elvie took 
his seat in a rocking chair that was standing 
there, near the fire, and sat watching the fire. 
He appeared not to be in very good humor. 

At length, however, he came to himself, as it 
were, and concluded that it was best to do as 


CORRESPONDENCE. 1 5 7 

August had recommended. So he took out a 
sheet of paper and placed himself at the table 
with pen and ink all ready. 

“ Well,” said he, “ I’m ready to begin.” 

“ Have you dated your letter ?” asked August. 

“ No,” said Elvie. 

Well, date it then. You must not call upon 
me till you have gone as far as you can your- 
self.” 

So Elvie wrote the date on the right hand 
upper margin of his note paper, and the words 
“ Dear Father,” on the left hand a little below. 

“ Now ! ” said Elvie — looking up, as he said it, 
for August to tell him what to write. 

“Just tell him where we have been to-day,” 
said August, “ while I am finishing this 
sentence.” 

So Elvie began and wrote several lines in 
silence. 

“ There ! ” said he. “ I’ve written that.” 


14 


158 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

“ Have you told him who were there that we 
saw ? ” asked August. 

“ No,” said Elvie. 

“Well, tell him that,” said August. “Your 
father would like to know what persons we saw.” 

So Elvie wrote again a little while, and then 
said again : 

“ Well ! ” 

“ Is there anything else you think of, that we 
saw,” asked August — “ that your father would 
like to know about ? ” 

“About the room,” said Elvie. “ He might 
like to know about the room.” 

“ Well, tell him that then,” said August. 

So Elvie began to write again. But before he 
had finished his sentence August asked : 

“ How do you think it would do to make a 
list of the furniture and things you would like 
for the room, and ask him if I may buy them 
for you ?” 


CORRESPONDENCE. 1 59 

“ It will be a good plan,” said Elvie. “ I’ll 
do it.” 

“ Make out the list as well as you can yourself, 

without stopping to speak to me about it,” said 

August. “ You can do it perfectly well yourself. 
* 

Write the list in a column on the left-hand side 
of the page, so as to leave room for the prices 
opposite.” 

“ But I don’t know the prices,” said Elvie. 

“You can leave room for them at any rate,” 
said August. “ And you may speak to me when 
it is necessary ; but do as much as you can 
yourself without interrupting me, and then I can 
go on faster with my letter. Let me see how 
you have got along so far.” 

So saying August took Elvie’s sheet to see 
what he had already done. 

“ Yes,” said he, “ that is a good beginning, 
and it is all written very plain. Your father 
will be much pleased to receive a letter from 


6o 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


you as quick as he gets one from me. It will 
shew him that you are prompt and efficient.” 

Encouraged by these words, Elvie went on 
writing, and took pains not to interrupt August 
when he could possibly help it. Indeed he only 
had to speak to him once for a long time, and 
that was to ask him how to spell the word 
bureau. 

As for August himself, he gave, in his letter, 
an account of the calls that he and Elvie had 
made upon Mr. Rosier and Mr. Woodman, and 
of their recommendation of Deacon Justin’s 
as the best place for Elvie — and also of his and 
Elvie’s subsequent visit to Deacon Justin’s house. 
He described the family, so far at least as to 
give a brief account of the persons composing it, 
and stated particularly the terms on which he 
and Elvie could be received. He also gave an 
account of Fan’s room. He said that it would 
be tolerably comfortable for Elvie as it was, — 


CORRESPONDENCE. l6l 

with such furniture as the family could put into 
it, — but that if Mr. Grant wished he could have 
it put in nice order, and some good furniture 
put in. He added that Elvie was making a list 
of such things as he would like to have if his 
father was willing. 

The boys had nearly though not quite finished 
their letters when the bell rang for tea. It had 
become dark while they were in the midst of 
their writing, and Elvie had lighted the lamp. 
When the tea bell rang they went down to tea 
and then returned to finish their work. 

Elvie found as is usual in such cases, that 
when he had once begun he had plenty to say ; 
so that when August had finished his letter, he 
was still writing. He however then soon came 
to a close. August having folded his own letter, 
said : 

“ And now let me look over yours and correct 

the ten mistakes.” 

14 * 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


162 

“ The ten ?” inquired El vie. 

“ Yes,” said August. “ I ought to expect at 
least ten words misspelt in your letter : — for you 
have spelled them all but one yourself, because 
you did not wish to interrupt me. I shall think 
you have done remarkably well if there are not 
more than ten errors.” 

So August looked over the letter, and he did 
not find but five errors. This pleased and 
encouraged Elvie very much. Indeed whether 
your young brother or sister is encouraged or 
discouraged by the manner in which you regard 
their efforts, depends very much upon the way in 
which you speak of their faults and errors. 
What August said seemed to imply that it was 
a matter of course that a boy like Elvie should 
not get all the words in a letter spelled right, 
and he spoke moreover in such a way as to 
make the number that he actually found fewer 
than he had expected to find. He thus led 


CORRESPONDENCE. 1 63 

Elvie to feel satisfied with his effort, as it was 
right and proper that he should be, since he had 
really taken pains, and had done as well as 
could have been reasonably expected for a boy 
of his age and limited experience in writing. 

He might however have greatly discouraged 
him by a different way of presenting the subject 
to his mind. ‘He might have said for example: 

“ Now I’ll look over your letter and see if any 
of the words are spelled wrong. Your father 
won’t like it very well if he finds you don’t know 
how to spell.” 

And then in looking over the letter, if he had 
counted up the five misspelled words with a tone 
and manner indicating that he was disappointed 
and sorry to find so many, and had told Elvie 
that he must be more careful next time — however 
kindly and gently he might have done it, Elvie 
would have felt reproved, and would have been 
discouraged, though he deserved no reproof and 


164 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

had no occasion for discouragement — for he had 
done as well as he could, and was on the high 
road to ultimate success in learning to write 
letters correctly. 

As it was, Elvie was much pleased with his 
letter, and was very glad that he had followed 
August’s advice in writing it. His letter was as 
follows : 

“ Granville, Wednesday Afternoon. 

“ Dear Father, 

“ We have been up the valley road to-day to 
Deacon Justin’s. We went in a sleigh ; I drove. 
We saw Mrs. Justin, Quimbo, Timothy and Fan. 
Fan is a very lively little girl. Quimbo is not 
lively at all. We saw Deacon Justin too. He 
looks very sober. We helped get a load of 
wood. 

“ List of things I should like to have in Fan’s 
room if you are willing. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


165 


“ Bedstead and bed. 

“ Bureau for my clothes. 

“ Table. 

“ Three chairs : one for me, one for August, and 
one for Fan when she comes. A little chair will 
do for her. 

“ Oh ! and a looking-glass. 

“ I don’t think of anything else except andirons 
and shovel and tongs. 

“ There is a good long sliding place 'down the 
wood road toward the pond — and good skating 
on the pond. 

“ I had some more things to say, but there is no 
more time, for August has finished his letter and 
mine must go with his. 

“ Your affectionate son, 

“ Elphinstone Grant.” 

After both letters were finished, and Elvie’s 
had been read, and the few errors of spelling had 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


1 66 

been corrected, August enclosed them in the 
same envelope, arfd he and Elvie went together 
to the post-office to mail them. When Elvie 
saw the double letter dropped safely into the 
letter-box he was very glad that he had had the 
resolution to follow August’s advice and write to 
his father. 

“ You thought at first,” said August, “ that you 
would not be able to think of anything to 
say.” 

“ Yes,” replied Elvie but I found that I had 
plenty to say when I had once begun.” 

“ It is always so,” said August. “Just begin, 
and the thoughts come to you faster than you 
can write them. And that’s a secret I advise 
you to remember when you grow older and go to 
school, and have to write composition. The 
boys and girls in schools, when they have com- 
position to write, spend a great deal of time in 
thinking of it, and dreading it, and imagine that 


CORRESPONDENCE. 1 67 

they have not any ideas on the subject that is 
given them.” 

This I think was very good advice on the part 
of August. And I would strongly recommend 
to all the readers of this book to remember it, 
and to act upon it. If they do so, they will find 
that it is a sure method of removing a very large 
part, if not the whole, of the trouble and distress 
which writing compositions generally occasions. 
When the subject is given you do not wait for 
“ thoughts ” before you begin to write, but only 
for one thought. There is no subject whatever 
— if you know the meaning of the words that 
express it — which does not suggest some thought 
or idea to your mind. Sit down then at once 
and express that , and the very act of expressing 
that one will bring others to your mind, so that 
you will very soon find that instead of having 
nothing to say you have more thoughts to ex- 
press than you have paper to contain the 
expression of them. 


1 68 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


When scholars in a school, therefore, have a sub- 
ject assigned for composition, there is never any 
necessity for them to say that they cannot write 
upon it, and worry and distress themselves with 
the idea that they do not know anything to say 
about it. For whatever the subject may be, as 
I have already said, if you know the meaning of 
the word, the very hearing of it must awaken 
some thought or idea in your mind. Now 
instead of imagining that you cannot think of 
anything to say on the subject, all you have to 
do is to seize upon that thought, whatever it is, 
sit down at once to your paper, clothe that 
thought in words, and write the words. Before 
you have written the words another thought will 
suggest itself, and then another, and in the end 
you will generally find that you have more to 
write than you have room for on your paper. 

August and Elvie tried an experiment upon 
each other in respect to writing composition, one 


CORRESPONDENCE. 1 69 

day after Elvie had commenced his studies, 
which illustrates clearly what is said above. 
What this experiment was, and how it resulted 
will perhaps be explained in a future chapter. 

August was pretty well satisfied that it would 
be best for him and Elvie to go to Deacon 
Justin’s, — but as it would only take about two 
days, or a little more, to hear from Elvie’s father, 
he thought it would be safer to wait for his 
decision. It was on Wednesday evening that 
the letters were mailed, and he thought it 
possible that he might receive an answer some 
time on Saturday. It proved however that he 
did not have to wait so long as he expected, for 
on Friday morning a telegram came. On 
opening it he found it contained the following 
ten words : 

“ Arrangement entirely satisfactory. Finish 
and furnish the room. Letter to-morrow.” 

The boys were both much pleased with the 
15 


170 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

receipt of this telegram. It opened the way for 
August to go on at once and close the arrange- 
ment, and he immediately sent Elvie around to 
the stable to engage a sleigh, and they set off, 
as soon as it was ready, to go up to Deacon 
J ustin's and inform him of the result. 




CHAPTER XI. 

Going to Housekeeping . 

^HAT day was a very busy day with the 
boys. Before the telegram came they had 
been together to the Academy to see what 
arrangement could be made there in respect to 
August’s studies, and had found everything 
satisfactory. They were all ready therefore at 
once to set off for Deacon Justin’s. Both Deacon 
Justin and his wife seemed much pleased to 
learn that the boys were coming to live with 
them, and even Quimbo nodded his head and 
smiled, when he heard the news. As for Fan, 
she was at school at the time, and did not hear 
of it till she came home,— but when she did hear 


1 72 GRAN VI LLE VXLLEY. 

of it she was quite wild with excitement and 

delight. 

Deacon Justin said that his wife would see 
what furniture she could find in the house to 
put into the room, but August replied that he 
was authorized by Elvie’s father to buy furniture 
for it, such as Elvie might wish ; and as Mr. 
Grant had supplied him with plenty of money 
for all such purposes, he proposed to begin at 
once. He and Elvie would make a list, he said, 
and as soon as they returned to the village they 
would buy the things and have them sent up. 
Mr. Justin said that it would be better that he 
should send for them. Quimbo might take down 
what is called sometimes a box-sleigh , — which 
consists of a strong and good sized box mounted 
upon a sled-like sleigh bottom ; such as the 
farmers use to take their produce to market in. 
Elvie liked this idea very much. He would ride 
in this market box with Quimbo, and leave 


GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. 173 

August to drive the tavern sleigh by himself. 
He could imagine that he was a farmer going to 
market, — only that he would be going with a 
view of purchasing goods of the village traders, 
instead of selling them produce. 

The question in regard to which August and 
Elvie were most in doubt was that of painting 
the wood work of the room. This would delay 
their getting possession of it for a day or two, 
but would make it much more pleasant as a 
place for Elvie to study in, and they knew 
moreover that it would gratify Fan very much 
to have her room painted. This last consider- 
ation seemed very important from Elvie’s point 
of view. One coat of paint might be put on, 
August thought, that afternoon ; and this coat 
he supposed would be dry enough to take a 
second coat on Monday morning, so that Elvie 
could have full possession of the room by 

Wednesday morning of the next week. In the 
15 * 


174 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

meantime Mrs. Justin could put a cot bed for 
August at any time in the back passage way, 
which was to be his sleeping place, and she said 
she could put Elvie into the “ spare room,” as 
she called it — which was the room reserved for 
company — for a night or two. Elvie thought that 
this arrangement would answer perfectly well. 

“ The only difficulty is,” said August, “ to 
provide for your studies in the meantime. We 
ought to begin fair and square — both of us — on 
Monday morning.” 

“ Well,” said Elvie eagerly, “ I can study by 
the kitchen fire on Monday and Tuesday — just 
as well as not — if grandmamma will only let me 
have a little table.” 

Mrs. Justin, who was quite pleased to find 
Elvie unconsciously adopting Fan’s mode of 
designating her — implying as it did a kindly and 
affectionate feeling toward her on his part — said 
he could have a table just as well as not 


GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. 1 75 

“ And then,” added Elvie, “ I shall be all ready 
there for grandmamma to hear my loud 
reading.” 

Mrs. Justin said she would like to hear it very 
much. 

And so it was all settled that the room should 
be painted. Deacon Justin offered to attend to 
the business of seeing that the painting was 
done, but August and Elvie preferred to attend 
to it themselves. Indeed August thought it 
would be useful to Elvie, as a means of promoting 
his progress in gaining health and strength, to 
have some driying about to do ; while the work 
of selecting the articles and making the purchases 
would tend to develop and strengthen his 
judgment, and enable him to gain some useful 
knowledge in respect to business. 

So the arrangement was made that the boys 
were to stop, on their way back to the village, at 
a painter’s shop, at the lower mills, and engage 


176 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

the painter to go up as soon as possible and put 
the first coat upon the wood work of the room. 
They were then to proceed to the village, and at 
once commence making the purchases of the 
different articles of furniture that would be 
required, — leaving each one, when purchased, to 
be called for in the afternoon. They were then 
to go to the tavern to dinner, and after dinner 
were to settle their bill and pack their trunks. 
It was also arranged that Quimbo, after his 
dinner at Deacon Justin’s, should harness a pair 
of horses to the box-sleigh, and go down and 
call for August and Elvie at the hotel, and then 
go around with them and gather the articles 
of furniture which had been engaged, and 
take all together up the valley. 

This plan was accordingly carried into execu- 
tion. Quimbo came at the appointed time, and 
then the three boys went around to the different 
stores where the purchases had been made, and 


GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. 1 77 

taking the several articles, they packed them 
snugly and compactly in the box-sleigh. There 
was a bureau, a case of hanging shelves, a 
looking-glass, a table, three chairs, a very good- 
sized stove. This stove was in the shape of an 
open fire place, with doors by which it might be 
closed in front when desired. There were also 
various other things, too numerous to mention. 
There were so many of these articles, in fact, that 
the box-sleigh would not take them all in one 
load, and so it was arranged that Quimbo should 
go up with a part of them first, and then come 
back for a second load, while August and Elvie 
remained in the village to complete their 
purchases. 

The afternoon was pretty well passed away 
when Quimbo returned for his second load, but 
August and Elvie were all ready for him, and 
the remaining articles — which were less bulky 
than those of the first load — were soon compactly 


178 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

stowed in the box. Quimbo mounted upon the 
top of the load, making for himself the most 
comfortable seat there that he could, while 
August and Elvie sat forward on the driver’s 
seat. Thus in due time they arrived safely at 
Deacon Justin’s, after quite a pleasant ride up 
the valley. 

The day was calm and sunny, and the road 
was in excellent condition, and Elvie took more 
pleasure in the ride through that rural valley in 
the loaded box-sleigh than a drive in the most 
elegant and fashionable turn-out in the Park in 
New York would have afforded him ; — so true it 
is that .happiness depends much less upon the 
outward circumstances themselves than upon the 
interpretation that the mind puts upon them, or 
rather the significance which it gives them. 

The furniture thus taken up to Deacon Justin’s 
the boys packed snugly in the shed at a place 
near the foot of the back stairs, ready to be 


GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. 1 79 

taken up as soon as the room should be ready. 
As soon as it was all thus bestowed, Elvie and 
August went up-stairs to see how the painter 
was going on with the work of painting the room. 
Somewhat to their surprise, and much to their 
joy, they found that the painter had brought an 
apprentice boy with him to aid in the work, and 
they together had just finished putting on the 
first coat over all the wood work in the room, 
and that it had improved the appearance of the 
room very much indeed. 

There was another agreeable surprise for the 
boys the next day, for the mail brought the 
promised letter from Elvie’s father, and in this 
letter Mr. Grant confirmed fully what he had 
said in the telegram in regard to the furnishing 
of Elvie’s room, but was much more full and 
particular as to details. Mr. Grant wished that 
the room should not only be painted, but that 
the walls should be papered, and that Fan’s taste 


180 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

should be consulted in the selection of the paper. 
He also said he wished that August would pro- 
cure a carpet for the floor, and that he should 
tell Fan that the carpet was to remain on the 
floor for her , when Elvie went away. As to the 
furniture — the bureau, the chairs, the table, the 
looking-glass and the other moveable articles — 
Mr. Grant said in his letter that he would give 
directions as to the disposal of them, when the 
time should come for Elvie to leave Mr. Justin’s 
and return to New York in the spring. 

This letter, of Mr. Grant’s was addressed to 
Elvie and not to August ; though it contained 
many directions which were for August’s gui- 
dance. Elvie was much pleased with this, and was 
specially pleased with his father’s ending "his 
letter by saying that he was very glad to find 
that Elvie was becoming so much of a man of 
business as he was shewn to be by his having 
the energy and perseverance to write so full and 


GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. l8l 

satisfactory a letter, at a time when he must 
necessarily have had so many things to divert his 
thoughts and to make it difficult for him to give 
his attention to any serious and connected work. 

“He ought to praise you for that, and not me,” 
said Elvie, “for I should not have written the 
letter if it had not been for you.” 

“ Oh no,” said August. “ I do not deserve 
the credit of it. You wrote it of your own accord. 

All I did was to give you my advice.” 

16 




CHAPTER XII. 

The Art of A dding . 

JT is a curious fact that many persons go on 

in the practice of adding numbers more or 

less every day, and yet never learn to add fast, 

or easily, or certainly, all their lives — and all 

because they do not do it in the right way. 

Though they may have added up little shopping 

accounts, for example, a thousand times, until at 

length they are forty years old, whenever a new 

account is handed to them, of articles which they 

have bought in a store, they try to foot up the 

column, but they get puzzled and perplexed, and 

are in the end never sure that they are right. 

Indeed it often happens that they cannot make 

( 182 ) 


I 


THE ART OF ADDING. 1 83 

the footing come twice alike. So* they get 
discouraged and vexed, and wish there were no 
such things as figures in the world. 

And this is not because they have not had 
practice enough to learn to add rapidly and 
well, but because their practice has not been of 
the right kind. They have been all the time on 
the wrong road, and so are not getting near the 
end of their journey. That is, they count instead 
of adding* 

What I mean is this. When they wish to add 
7 and 8 for example, they have not had it fixed 
in their minds that the sum is 15, and that 17 
and 8 are 25, and 37 and 8 are 45, and that in 
all cases where a 7 and an 8 are to be added the 
last figure will always be a 5, — but they have to 
count , either by drumming with their fingers, or 
by saying over, either mentally or in a whisper, 
all the intervening numbers, generally dividing 
them into groups of threes or twos, thus : seven , 


1 84 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

eight — nine — ten ; eleven — twelve — thirteen ; 
fourteen — fifteen. They have to go over this 
process of adding the separate units which form 
the eight, one by one, — naming the amount in 
each step — instead of adding the eight as a 
whole , and saying once for all 15, — or 25, — or 
35, — as the case may be. 

Persons who have been accustomed all their 
lives to add in this counting way, acquire 
astonishing dexterity in running over upon their 
fingers, or in mentally enumerating in words, all 
the intermediate steps, — but it is a long and 
round about process, and can never be made 
anything else, however dexterously a person may 
learn to run through it. And a person who 
once gets upon this track seldom or never of his 
own accord gets off from it. Though he may 
have counted up all the units in 8 to be added 
to a number ending in the figure 7, a thousand 
times, he never seems to observe that it will 


THE ART OF ADDING. 1 85 

always produce the number of the next decade 
ending in 5, but counts it all over with his fingers 
or in his mind, on every new occasion, just as if 
he had never met with that combination before, 
and could not tell without counting over again 
what the result would be. 

A decade is a set of ten. The numbers from 
20 to 30 constitute a decade, and those between 
30 and 40 form the next decade. When there- 
fore we have a number in any decade ending in 
7, as for example 27, 37, 47 and the like, and 
wish to add 8, the answer will always be the 
number in the next decade ending in 5 ; that is 
27 with 8 added will make 35, and 37 will make 
45. Of course when this is once fixed in the 
mind, and has become perfectly familiar, there 
is an end once for all of the tedious counting 
above described, and the true result will come to 
the mind at once. And it is the same with all 

the other combinations. 

16 * 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


1 86 

August had perhaps had some vague idea of 
these two different methods of adding as 
practiced by different persons, but had never 
thought much of the difficulty of getting out of 
the wrong method when one has got into it, until 
Mr. Grant explained it to him, in one of the 
conversations he had with him in respect to Elvie. 

“ This is so important,” said Mr. Grant, “ that 
I shall be perfectly satisfied with Elvie’s progress 
in arithmetic for this winter, if you only get him 
on the right track in simple addition. It is not 
how far along he has got in any book, that I 
shall inquire about. What I wish for is simply 
that he should learn to add without any counting. 
If I examine him in arithmetic, when he comes 
back, I shall simply do it by giving him a 
reasonable column of figures to add up, and 
observing whether he adds each number as a 
whole, or stops to count up the units of which it 
is composed.” 


THE ART OF ADDING. 1 87 

In consequence of these and other similar 
instructions which he had received from Elvie’s 
father, August had formed his plan for carrying 
Elvie forward in arithmetic, not by pushing him 
on to more and more difficult rules in the book, 
but only by giving him plenty of practice in 
adding numbers — taking care to put him on the 
right track as to the method of doing it, and to 
keep him on it. And the system that he adopted 
was this, to explain to him fully the difference 
between the two methods, so that he should 
know what he was about, and be interested 
himself in avoiding the habit of counting, — and 
then directing him to set himself sums, consisting 
at first only of such figures as he could easily 
add without counting ; and gradually to advance 
to larger ones as fast as he learned to add the 
larger ones in the same way — that is without 
counting. And he aided him in learning how to 
manage the larger ones, by certain conversations 


1 88 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


that he had with him, when they were walking, 
or riding, or were sitting together having nothing 
special to do. These conversations managed 
for the purpose of communicating instruction, 
August called his talk-lessons, and he made it 
a rule to have a talk-lesson of half an hour, or two 
or three talk-lessons amounting in all to half an 
hour — every day. 

To show exactly how these talk-lessons were 
managed, I will give an example of one of them 
which he gave Elvie on Saturday evening — the 
evening of the day on which the boys first took 
up their residence at Deacon Justin’s. Deacon 
Justin himself, and his wife, had gone out to 
make an evening call, leaving nobody at home 
in the kitchen, but August and Elvie, and also 
Quimbo and Fan. August and Elvie were 
sitting on a settle at one side of the fire. 
Quimbo was in a large arm-chair at the other 
side, seeming to be half asleep, — though he was* 


THE ART OF ADDING. 1 89 

really listening very attentively to August’s 
lesson-talk. He did not dare to appear to be 
listening, for fear that August should ask him 
some questions that he could not answer. He 
was desirous to learn, but not willing to appear 
not to know . They labour always under great 
disadvantage, who try to learn while wishing to 
conceal the fact that they do not know. 

As for Fan she was running about the room 
at play, going however frequently to the fire 
where she had some apples roasting on the 
hearth. 

On hearing the word decade which August 
pronounced once or twice in his talk-lesson, while 
she was turning her apples, she ran to August 
and wanted to know what a decade was, and 
whether it was anything good to eat. 

“ Oh run away now, Fan,” said Elvie, “we are 
busy talking about our lessons.” 

“ Never mind,” said August. “ We will let 
her learn to.” 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


190 

So he asked Fan to hold out all the fingers of 
both her hands and then told her that there was 
a decade. 

“No,” said she. “That’s nothing but my 
fingers.” 

“Yes,” said August, “ ten of them; and a 
decade is a ten. Go and get Quimbo to count 
your fingers and see if there are just ten of them 
— fingers and thumb and all. If there are not, 
you must have lost some of them.” 

“ No,” said Fan, “ I’m going to watch my 
apples.” So she ran off to the fire to make a 
new observation in respect to the progress of her 
apples in getting roasted. 

“ A decade is a set of ten,” said August, 
resuming his conversation with Elvie. “ In the 
series of numbers in Arithmetic the first decade 
is from one to ten ; the second from ten to 
twenty. The twenties make the third — the 
thirties the fourth, and so on. Now when you 


THE ART OF ADDING. 191 

add a 9 to any number in any decade the 
amount will be a number one less in the next 
decade 

“ I don’t think I understand it very well,” said 
Elvie. 

“ Why, suppose you add 9 to 27 which is the 
number ending in 7 in the decade of twenties. 
The answer would be 6 in the decade of thirties. 
That is it will be the number one less in the next 
decade above. Suppose you add 9 to 48 what 
will it be according to that principle ?” 

“ It will be 57,” said Elvie without hesitation. 

August then went on with a great number of 
examples, which he gave to Elvie in order to 
make the principle perfectly familiar to him. Of 
course Elvie hesitated a little at first, and he even 
made some mistakes ; but he soon became so 
familiar with the method that he could answer 
at once, whatever the number was to which 
the 9 was to be added. 


192 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


After practicing him thus with single numbers 
he gave him a continued series thus : 

“ How much is 17 and 9 ?” 

" Twent y-six,” said Elvie. 

“ And 9 more ?” 

“ Thirty-^z^ 

“ And 9 more ?” 

“ Fort y-four'.' And so on. 

August also taught him that this principle 
would enable any boy to repeat the line of nines 
in the multiplication table, by deducing each 
step from the preceding one. For if 2 times 9 
are 18, 3 times 9 must be the number one less 
than 8 in the next decade, which would be 27 ; 
and 4 times 9 would be 36 ; and so on with all 
the rest. 

The knowledge of this principle helps the 
pupil very much in learning that part of the 
multiplication table, — though it does not in itself 
give him that complete command of it which it 


THE ART OF ADDING. 193 

is neqessary that every good arithmetician should 
have. For it is not sufficient that we should be 
able to deduce at once every individual product 
from the one preceding. To be able to multiply 
rapidly we must know every product by itself, 
without any reference to the others. The 
principle above explained will however afford 
the intelligent boy or girl great help in the work 
of learning them all. 

“ So now you see,” said August, at the close 

of his conversation with Elvie on this subject, 

“ that you can always add a 9 when it comes in 

any column, without counting up the separate 

units that compose it. You can also add all the 

twos and threes, and perhaps many others. And 

when you come to any that you don’t know, as 

for instance 7 and 8, you must not count up, but 

must look into the addition table, and when you 

find that 8 and 7 make 1 5 you must say it aloud 

to yourself a number of times, and repeat it also 
17 


194 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

in the other decades, as 28 and 7 make 35, and 
48 and 7 make 55. And so when the figures are 
reversed, 27 and 8 make 35, and 58 and 7 make 
65. That is whenever a 7 or an 8 are to be 
added to a number of any decade ending in 8 or 
7, the answer will always be the number in the 
next decade ending in 5. When this is once 
well fixed in the mind there will never afterwards, 
as long as the person lives, be any necessity for 
counting up the units one by one for that 
combination, whereas without that knowledge 
he will go on counting as long as he lives, when- 
ever he comes to an 8 and a 7 to be added, thus 
he will say : ‘ 27 and 8 make, — let us see ; 28- 
29*30, 31-32-33, 34-35/ — drumming' all the time 
on the table or the desk, to keep the right 
reckoning.” 

I have explained this so fully because I am 
very desirous that these books should be useful 
to the readers of them, as well as entertaining, 


THE ART OF ADDING. 195 

and be the means of helping them forward in 
their studies, and of implanting in their minds 
useful principles of moral conduct. But I have 
no doubt that a great many young and giddy 
readers will skip this chapter when they see so 
many figures and other signs of arithmetic in it, 
just as Fan ran off to watch her apples ; and so 
will go on counting laboriously and tediously all 
their lives perhaps, notwithstanding my attempt 
to help them in a better way. Still, there will 
be some, I am sure, who will read the chapter 
attentively, and will learn the lesson that it is 
intended to teach, and take pains to put a stop 
as soon as possible to the practice of counting 
when doing the work of addition, and learn from 
the addition table or in other ways, as soon as 
they can, what sum each different combination 
of the nine digits makes, and so release them- 
selves from the intolerable drudgery of having 
to count them up anew, which will otherwise con- 
tinue to be a burden to them as long as they live. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Glad of an Excuse . 

r J" , HE reader will perhaps suppose that if an 
account is to be given in this chapter of 
anybody’s being glad of any excuse, it would be 
likely to be Elvie and not August But the 
contrary is the fact. It was August who said 
Sunday evening that he was glad that he and 
Elvie had a good excuse for not performing 
their duties in the way of study the next day, — 
though it is true that the view he took of the 
subject was not exactly the usual one. 

It was at night, when Elvie had gone to bed, 
in the spare room, that August had a brief 
conversation with him on the subject. During 

(196) 


GLAD OF AN EXCUSE. 1 97 

the day Timothy and Quimbo had harnessed 
two sleighs — a single and a double one — to 
take all the family down to the village to church, 
— or to “ meeting,” as they called it. There was 
a Sunday-school at noon between the two 
services, which both August and Elvie attended. 
Elvie was much interested in the various scenes 
and incidents whigh attracted his attention 
during the day, — such as were connected with 
the rides down and back, and the new and 
strange aspect presented by the interior of the 
church and the appearance of the congregation, 
so different from what he had been accustomed 
to see in and near New York. 

After church the family returned to the farm 

by a very pleasant ride up the valley, and 

August and Elvie helped Quimbo to unharness 

the horses and put them in their places in the 

stable, and also to give a fresh supply of hay to 

the sheep and the cattle, and to make them all 
17 * 


198 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

comfortable for the night. About nine o’clock 
in the evening, after family prayers, Timothy 
and Quimbo went out again with the lanterns — 
August and Elvie accompanying them— and gave 
the stock one more feeding to last them through 
the night. On returning to the house, Elvie 
went to the spare room where he had slept the 
night before, and after he had had time to 
undress himself and to be comfortably settled in 
bed, August went in to see that he was all 
right, — and to have a little talk with him accord- 
ing to his custom. 

He first read a few verses from the Bible, and 
a prayer out of Elvie’s prayer-book, as was a 
frequent custom with him. Indeed the foundation 
and main support of August’s desire to do his 
duty in all things, and to do all in his power to 
lead other persons to do theirs, was his wish to 
please and obey God, and to lead others to 
please and obey Him. After this service he 


GLAD OF AN EXCUSE. 


199 


waited to talk with Elvie a little about the plans 
for the next day. 

“ Now, Elvie,” said he, “ we have been planning 
to begin our studies to-morrow, but I think we 
have a perfectly good excuse for not beginning 
to-morrow, and I’m glad of it.” 

Elvie’s eyes brightened at hearing these words 
— partly with pleasure at the idea of postponing 
the commencement of his studies, and partly 
with something like surprise, for it was some- 
thing new to hear August talk of being “ glad of 
an excuse ” to release him from the performance 
of any duty whatever. 

“You see,” continued August, “the man will 
come to-morrow morning perhaps to put on the 
second coat of paint. Then there is the carpet 
to buy and the paper to choose, and the man to 
engage to put the paper on. Then there ought 
to be a wood box to keep wood in, and I might 
make it to-morrow in the shop.” 


200 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“ Is there a shop here ?” asked Elvie. 

“ Oh yes,” said August ; “ an excellent shop, 
with all the necessary tools, and a good supply 
of pieces of seasoned boards on a loft over head.” 

“ And then besides,” continued August going 
on with his vindication of the goodness of the 
excuse, “ you won’t have any convenient facilities 
for doing your work in the kitchen. Carrying 
on school work without any teacher or any 
classmates, in a farmer’s kitchen, is what you 
might call the pursuit of knowledge under 
difficulties.” 

Here August paused a moment, and Elvie’s 
mind was wandering with delight among the 
scenes that he pictured to himself to be enjoyed 
during the day, — going up and down to his 
room watching the progress of things there — 
rambling about in the stables and barns with 
Quimbo — helping him in getting the sled ready 
to go to the woods — and perhaps going with him. 


GLAD OF AN EXCUSE. 


201 


“ So you see,” continued August, “ if we have 
the resolution to go steadily on with our duties 
during the forenoon, we shall have the satis- 
faction of thinking at noon that we were manly 
enough to do our work though we should have 
had a very good excuse if we had neglected it.” 

This last remark disturbed a little the reveries 
in which Elvie had been indulging. It seemed 
to indicate that it was not August’s idea that 
the work should be postponed or neglected, 
after all. 

“ You see,” continued August after a short 
pause, u there are three kinds of men in regard 
to their faithfulness in doing their duty or 
fulfilling their engagements. One kind are 
entirely negligent and careless. They do what 
they have to do, or not, just as it happens — with- 
out troubling themselves at all about their pro- 
mises or their obligations. Another kind make it 
a point to do what they have engaged to do, 


202 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


unless they have a really good excuse for not 
doing it.” 

“ Yes,” said Elvie, “ that’s the right way to do.” 

“ And there is a third kind,” continued August, 
“ who always make it a point to do what they 
have to do, or what they have engaged to do if 
it is a possible thing , whether they have a good 
excuse or not.” 

“ That’s better still,” said Elvie. 

“ Suppose for example,” continued August, 
“ that you have a pair of skates to be rigged.” 

“ My skates are rigged already,” said Elvie. 

“Yes,” replied August, “and so it is only a 
supposition. You take your skates to one man 
• — a saddle and harness maker — and ask him 
how soon he can have them done. He says, 
* Day after to-morrow.’ As soon as you are 
gone he throws the skates down in a corner, and 
thinks no more about them. When you go 
for them on the appointed day he tells you they 


GLAD OF AN EXCUSE. 203 

are not done, but don’t seem to think anything 
at all of his having broken his engagement, but 
only says, ‘ I forgot all about them. You come 
again in a few days.’ And when you go again 
in a few days it is altogether a matter of chance 
whether they will be done then or not.” 

“ I hate such a man as that,” said Elvie. 

“ I don’t know about hating the man,” said 
August — “ but it is right to hate such doings.” 

" That’s what I mean,” said Elvie. 

“ Another man, when you take the skates to 
him,” continued August, “ promises them the 
next day but one : and he would in fact have 
had them ready at that time, but he was not 
well the next day, and did not feel like work — 
or he had some other work that was very 
important to do that unexpectedly came in — or 
he had to go away in the afternoon with his wife 
to see her sick father — and thus he had very 
good excuses for not rigging the skates. So 


204 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

when the boy comes for the skates at the 
appointed time he says that he is very sorry, but 
that he has been prevented from doing as he pro- 
mised by things that he could not help” 

“ Well,” said Elvie, “ I don’t think that he 
was very much to blame.” 

“ No,” replied August. “ He was not. But 

there is another kind of man still. Such a man 

♦ 

when a boy brought him the skates appointed a 
time when he said they would be done. The 
day before this appointed time he was called 
away from home, and did not return till late in 
the evening ; and then he told his wife that he 
had an hour’s work to do in his shop before he 
could go to bed. His shop you see was in the 
front part of his house. He said he had promised 
to have a pair of skates rigged for a boy early 
the next morning, and he was bound to have 
them done. She tried to persuade him not to 
do any such thing. He had been busy all day, 


GLAD OF AN EXCUSE. 205 

she said, and was tired and ought to go to bed. 
But he said no. He must go and do the work* 
She said it would do just as well if the skates 
were done by noon of the next day. And 
besides it was only a boy. He need not make 
so much of a small boy. He said that it was 
not the boy that he was making much of, but 
his promise. 1 It is my promise/ says he, ‘ that 
I’m thinking of : though I think of the boy too. 
I want that boy, and all the boys in town, to 
know that when I promise that any work will 
be done, it will be done, — blow high, or blow 
low.’ ” 

“ That’s the kind of man that I like,” said 
Elvie eagerly starting up in his bed. 

“ Do you mean that that is the kind of man 
that you like to deal with, or the kind of man 
that you would like to be ? ” asked August. 

“ Why — why — both,” said Elvie. “ When I 
make a promise I like to keep it.” 


20 6 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“ So you do,” replied August. “ When you 
make any promise to me I dan always trust you 
to keep it as well as I can any boy I know.” 

“ But then,” said Elvie, “ we have not made 
father any promise about pur studies for to- 
morrow.” 

“ That’s a fact,” replied August, “ and so you 
are not bound in that way.” 

“ Unless indeed,”— he added after a moment’s 
pause, — “we consider that there is a sort of 
implied promise.” 

“ What do you mean by that ?” asked Elvie. 

“ Why, there was an understanding,” replied 
August, “ when we came away from New York, 
that we would get settled here in the valley 
without any unnecessary delay, and that we 
would commence our course of study as soon as 
we conveniently could.” 

“ Conveniently ,” repeated Elvie. 

“ Yes,” said August; “and I admit that it is 


GLAD OF AN EXCUSE. 207 

not exactly convenient for either of us to begin 
our work to-morrow. But we can do it, if we 
choose ; — and I am going to begin mine. You 
can do just as you think best about yours. I 
shall not think you do anything wrong if you 
postpone your beginning till you get settled in 
your room, and spend your mornings in the 
mean time in playing about, and seeing what is 
going on.” 

“ Which do you advise me to do ? ” asked 
Elvie. 

“ Why, the truth is,” replied August, “ that I 
don’t like to advise you at all, — for so far as I 
influence you to do your work to-morrow instead 
of spending the day in play, I diminish the 
satisfaction you will gain in doing it yourself, of 
your own accord. I am perfectly willing that 
you should either wait till your room is ready 
before you begin your studies, or that you should 
begin to-morrow in the kitchen in spite of the 


208 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


difficulties, — whichever you think will afford you 
most satisfaction. Only if you do begin to-morrow 
I would rather that it should be your own work, 
and that you should feel that the credit of it 
belongs entirely to you, instead of its being in 
any sense my doing. But you need not decide 
to-night. You can wait till to-morrow, and 
make up your mind when you are coming back 
from the village after taking me down to the 
Academy.” 

“ Then you have positively decided to begin 
your school to-morrow,” said Elvie. 

“ Yes,” said August, “ I think that will be the 
best plan for me. I always find it is best for me, 
if I have anything to do, to take hold at once 
and do it , — promise or no promise. But your 
case is different.” 

“ How different ? ” asked Elvie. 

“ Why, you are younger than I am,” said 
August/ and have more time before you, and 


GLAD OF AN EXCUSE. 209 

you need play more. And then if I am going 
to the academy, the sooner I get under way 
in my classes the better. I shall have so much 
the less catching-up to do.” 

“ Well,” said Elvie, after a moment’s reflection. 
“ I’ll think about it. But tell me what the man 
did about rigging the skates.” 

August had told Elvie already that the case 
of the three men employed to rig skates was 
only imaginary — a mere supposition, which he 
had made to illustrate what he was saying ; still 
Elvie had in his own mind invested the supposi- 
tion with some semblance of reality, and he 
wished to have the story brought to its proper 
completion. 

“ He went into his shop,” said August in 

answer to Elvie’s inquiry, “ started up a little 

fire in the stove, lighted his lamp and went to 

work. In about an hour the work was done. 

He wrapped up the skates in a paper, tied them 
18 * 


210 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


with a string, and laid them aside. Then after 
putting everything in order he returned to his 
room in the house and went to bed perfectly 
contented and satisfied. The next morning, 
immediately after breakfast, the boy came for 
his skates. ‘ Are my skates done ? ’ says he. 
‘ Yes,’ says the man. * There they are.’ ‘ I 
knew they would be done,’ says the boy, ‘ for 
always do just what you promise.’ ” 

“ Is that story true ? ” asked Elvie, after a 
moment’s pause,— speaking however in a some- 
what sleepy tone. 

“ No, — not exactly,” replied August. “ That 
is, it is not an account of any one particular case 
that I know of, but it is an example of thousands 
of cases substantially like it, that are happening 
every day. In that sense it is true.” 

“ Have you got — any good place — to sleep — 
to — ? ” said Elvie. It was very plain that he 
was growing more and more sleepy. 


GLAD OF AN EXCUSE. 


21 1 


“ Oh yes,” said August. “ An excellent place. 
Mrs. Justin has put me up a little cot-bed, and 
a curtain to curtain off the passage way, and 
that makes a nice little chamber for me, with 
room for my trunk, and a place for me to put 
up some hooks to hang my clothes upon and 
all. When I want to read or study I suppose 
you’ll let me sit by your fire.” 

Elvie did not answer. * 

“ Good night, Elvie,” said August in an under- 
tone, — “ if you are not asleep.” 

No answer. 

“ Good night any how,” said August, “ whether 
you are asleep or not.” 

And so he went away. 




CHAPTER XIV. 

S t u d y Hours . 

r J" n HE next morning the weather looked threat- 
ening as if a snow-storm was coming on. 

“ I suppose if it storms you won’t go,” said 
Elvie to August, as he — that is Elvie — was 
dressing himself ; for August had risen early and 
had gone out to the barn before it was light, to 
help take care of the cattle,' and had then gone 

in to Elvie’s room to see that he was all right. 

% • 

“ I shall set out,” said August, “ and go as 
far as I can.” 

“ Suppose there should be such a big snow- 
storm this winter that Deacon Justin would not 

be willing to let you have the horse and sleigh ? ” 

( 212 ) 


STUDY HOURS. 213 

“ Then perhaps I should not go,” said August. 
“ It is not best to do anything foolish just to 
show how smart we are. But there will be no 
such trouble this morning. It is at the end of 
great snow-storms, and not at the beginning of 
them, that there is any difficulty in getting about.” 

Deacon Justin’s family breakfasted at seven 
o’clock, by candle light, at this time cf the year. 
Family prayers were attended just before break- 
fast. After breakfast everybody was busy about 
the farm for an hour in “ doing the chores,” as 
they called it. The cattle were to be fed and 
watered, the stalls and tie-ups were to be put in 
order, teams were to be yoked up and horses 
harnessed for the day’s work, and many other 
such things to be done. At a quarter past eight 
the sleigh which was to take August to the 
village, and Fan to her school, was driven to the 
door, and August, Elvie and Fan took their 
places in it and drove away. 


214 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

As it was not a warm and sunny morning, 
such as makes a sleigh ride pleasant, Fan decided 
not to go to the village, but was left at her school- 
room door, and August and Elvie went on. 

‘ Then you are not going to give me any 
advice about my studies this forenoon ? ” said 
Elvie, as they drove along down the valley. 

“ No,” said August, “ not as to the question 
whether you shall study or not. But I will give 
you some advice about the way of doing the 
work profitably in case you yourself decide to 
do it.” 

“ Well,” said Elvie, “ go ahead.” 

“ My first advice to you,” said August, “ is 
not to spend your time in practising anything 
except what you want to learn.” 

“ Why, nobody would do that ? ” said Elvie. 

“ Yes,” said August. “ I have known children 
to practise rubbing out figures on a slate. I 
advise you when you are setting yourself a sum, 


STUDY HOURS. 215 

after you have once made a figure to let it stand, 
and not waste your time in rubbing it out so as 
to get room to make it over again.” 

“ But I may want to make it better,” said 
Elvie. 

“ You can make the next one better,” rejoined 
August, “ but the time you spend in rubbing out 
one that you have already made is all lost.” 

“ It only takes a minute,” said Elvie. 

“ True,” replied August, “only a minute for 
one, but if there are a great many figures to be 
rubbed out, it takes a great many minutes. I 
have known foolish children, when they are 
setting themselves sums, to spend about half 
their time in rubbing the figures out and making 
them over again. So I advise you never to rub 
out a figure in any case for the sake of making 
it better. Make it carefully the first time and 
let it stand.” 

“ If it is in the answer, and is wrong,” said 


21 6 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


Elvie, “ then we must rub it out.” 

“ Yes/ said August, “you must rub it out 
perhaps if it is wrong, but you ought to box 
your ears first for punishment for making it 
wrong.” 

“ Oh August ! ” exclaimed Elvie laughing. 

“ Do you think,” said August, “ that the way 
to do work in arithmetic is first to set down any 
figure that comes into your head, and then cal- 
culate and see if it is right, and if it is not rub it 
out and write another one in its place ? No, 
indeed. That’s no way. See that your figure 
is right first , — and then set it down. In this 
way you’ll have no rubbing out to do.” 

“ That’s true,” said Elvie. “ But we must make 
mistakes sometimes.” 

“ Yes,” rejoined August, “ but it is only from 
haste and carelessness generally that we do it ; 
and if you box your ears, or give yourself a little 
scolding every time you do it, you will soon get 


STUDY HOURS. 21 7 

into the habit of being careful to determine 
what a figure ought really to be before you write 
it down. 

“ Then there is another way, ” continued 
August, “ that you will be in great danger of 
wasting time, and that is in choosing something 
to copy in your writing hour.” 

“ I have not got my copy-book out,” said 
Elvie, “ and I can’t get it out very well till I un- 
pack my trunk.” 

“ No matter about your book,” said August. 
“Your object is to learn to write, and not to 
make a book , and you can do that by practice 
upon a sheet of paper as well as in a book. 
Take a sheet of paper, and copy carefully upon 
it for half an hour something from a book, or a 
newspaper. And don’t spend any time in looking 
over different things to choose what you shall 
copy. Take the first book that comes to hand 
and begin to copy the first passage you open to. 


2l8 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


You can learn correctness in spelling, punctu- 
ation, capitals and all such things just as well 
by one thing as by another. And above all do 
not turn your half-hour glass till you are ready 
to begin the actual writing, so as to have the 
whole half-hour for improving practice.” 

In this and in other similar conversation the 
time passed rapidly away until the boys arrived 
at the village. They had one or two errands to 
do on business connected with the furnishing of 
the room, and had also to call at the post-office. 
Then they drove to the academy where Elvie 
left August, and he himself returned up the 
valley to his new home. 

As perhaps the reader will have already anti- 
cipated, Elvie had resolved to commence his 
studies resolutely that day. Accordingly as 
soon as he arrived at the farm he delivered the 
horse to Quimbo’s care, after waiting a few 
minutes to help unharness him, and then went 
into the house. 


STUDY HOURS. 2IQ 

He found that Mrs. Justin had already placed 

a small table and a . chair near the fire for him. 

She was herself engaged at work in a back 

room with a woman from somewhere in the 

neighborhood who came to help her on Mondays. 

She however assisted Elvie to take off his coat 

# 

and mittens, and told him she was very glad 
that he was going to study in her kitchen. 

“ I only wish that Fan was here to study with 
you,” said she. 

“ Oh, Fan could not study at home,” said 
Elvie. 

“ Why not ? ” asked Mrs. Justin. 

“ She could not sit still long enough,” said 
Elvie. 

The moment after these words were uttered 
Elvie was almost sorry that he had spoken 
them ; for his having expressed such an opinion 
of Fan’s instability and want of self-control 
would make it doubly disgraceful in him to fail 


220 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

in doing his own work faithfully. So he resolved 
that he would not fail, and immediately com- 
menced his preparations in earnest. 

“ I’ll see how long it takes me to get to my 
work,” said he, glancing up at the tall kitchen 
clock that was ticking in a corner of the room. 
It was just ten minutes to ten. He went up 
immediately to his own room, and glanced in 
for a moment to see' that the painter and his 
boy were at work, but did not stop to watch 
their progress. Then he returned to the spare 
room where he had slept and where his trunk 
had been placed, opened his trunk, took out 
his slate, his arithmetic, his travelling inkstand, 
a portfolio containing paper, his gold pen — 
which was contained in a silver handle into 
which it could be shut to protect the point, and 
was made to fit into a little morocco case — and 
his half-hour glass. With these he went back to 
his place in the kitchen, arranged the things 6h 


STUDY HOURS. 


221 


the table, opened the arithmetic to the place 
where a number of sums in addition were set 
down, took the slate and pencil, and when he 
was all ready to begin he looked up at the clock 
again. 

“ Good,” said he. “ It is five minutes to ten. 
All my preparations have only taken up five 
minutes !” 

He then turned the half-hour glass to set the 

sand to running, and began his work. He set 

down sum after sum, which he copied from his 

book, and then added up the columns one after 

another, — taking great care to avoid counting 

as much as he possibly could, and setting down 

the results in order below. Having thus added 

all the columns from above downward and 

written the amounts below, he added each one 

again from below upward ’ and wrote the second 

answer below the first one, so as to see if the 

two answers corresponded. They did not 
19 * 


222 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


always correspond, but when they did not he 
did not rub them out, but let them stand as 
they were, contradicting each other. It may be a 
question whether he did right in this, Or whether 
he ought to have gone over the columns again 
till he could make them agree. The plan that 
he adopted had this advantage at any rate, 
namely, that August, in looking over his work 
afterward, could see exactly to what degree of 
exactness in adding, his pupil had attained — for 
all the mistakes that he made were faithfully 
preserved. 

At the end of his half-hour, that is when the 
sands were all run out from his sand-glass, he 
felt somewhat tired. He turned the sand-glass 
down upon its side and rose from his seat to 
take a little rest. He thought he would go up 
stairs and see how the painting went on. He 
found it was going on very nicely. Indeed the 
work was almost done, and Elvie was half in- 
clined to stay and see it finished. 


STUDY HOURS. 


223 

“ He said I could do just as I pleased about 
studying this morning/’ said he to himsel'f — in 
recollecting August’s conversation with him, — 
“ and of course if I could omit the whole of my 
studies I could omit a part of them. 

“ No,” said he again after a moment’s reflec- 
tion. “ I have done one half-hour of work, and 
I’ll go on and do the rest.” 

So he went back to the kitchen and took his 
place at the table once more. 




CHAPTER XV. 

Getting Settled . 

^^CCORDING to the plan of study which 
August had formed for Elvie, his next 
half-hour was to be spent in reading aloud from 
a simple story book, with a view not to obtaining 
any useful instruction, but only to acquire the 
art of reading aloud skilfully and well, that is in 
such a way as to convey the whole meaning of 
what he read in a plain, distinct and forcible 
manner, to any one who might be listening to 
him. If he could have any one to listen to his 
reading it would be so much better, August had 
said, as the interest he would feel in conveying 
to his hearers the whole import of what he read 

(224) 


GETTING SETTLED. 225 

would have an insensible but powerful influence 
in assisting him to give the right emphasis to 
the important words, and the right tones and 
modulations to his voice. 

Elvie did not however quite like to ask Mrs. 
Justin to hear his reading, as the book from 
which he was to read consisted of stories only- 
such as would be likely to be interesting to boys 
and girls of his own age, still he thought he 
would venture to do it. Mrs. Justin was at the 
time sitting at the table near a window paring 
some apples to make an apple pudding for 
dinner. So when he was all ready to turn his 
sand-glass and begin, he told her that his next 
lesson was to read aloud for half an hour, and 
asked her whether his doing so would disturb 
her. 

“ Oh no, indeed,” said Mrs. Justin. “ I shall 

like to hear the story very much. It will amuse 

* 

me while I am paring my apples.” 


226 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


So Elvie turned his glass and began. Of 
course he was now quite desirous of making the 
meaning of what he read very plain, so that 
Mrs. Justin should understand it perfectly. He 
succeeded so well in this that Mrs. Justin began 
very soon to be so much interested in what he 
was reading that she wished “ grandmother,” as 
she called her, to hear it too. 

“ Stop a minute,” said she. 

On hearing this Elvie immediately turned 
down his sand-glass upon one side so as to stop 
the flow of the sand during the time that he was 
interrupted. He was very honest, and did not 
wish to have any time counted except what was 
spent by him in actual reading. 

“ I should like grandmother to hear this story,” 
said she. “ It will amuse her. And then besides 
it will be a new story for her to tell to Fan. Fan 
is always wanting-more stories, and grandmother 
likes to hear all she can to tell to her — though 


GETTING SETTLED. 22*J 

sometimes she alters them a great deal in the 
telling. But that makes no difference. It is all 
the same to Fan.” 

So Mrs. Justin, after speaking to her mother 
about it, and finding that the old lady would 
like to hear the story very much, opened the 
door that led into her room, and placed Elvie’s 
chair just inside of it, while she placed her own 
chair, and her basket of apples, and the other 
things necessary for her work, very near. 

“Now, El vie,” said Mrs. Justin when they 
were all ready, “ begin again, for grandmother 
will want to hear the story from the beginning.” 

Elvie thought to himself that he had no objec- 
tion at all to beginning the story again so long 
as he was not obliged to turn the half-hour 
glass back, and begin the running of the sand 
again. He had a right, he thought, to all the 
sand that had run through while he was reading 
to Mrs. Justin ; which was certainly true. 


228 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


The aged grandmother seemed quite pleased 
to learn that the story was to be read so that 
she could hear it, and as she sat in her old- 
fashioned armrchair with her feet upon a soft 
foot-stool before her, and her knitting work in 
her hands, she listened attentively to Elvie as he 
read ; and Elvie took pains to read slowly and 
distinctly, and in such a manner as to convey to 
her the full meaning of the narrative and the 
dialogue. He finished the story just about the 
time that his half-hour was out. Grandmother 
thanked him for reading to her such an interest- 
ing story, and told him she hoped that when he 
should be as old as she was, there would be 
some kind child to come and read to him. 

“ I can’t read to myself,” said she, “ for I have 
not got the right kind of spectacles. But I’m 
going to have a new pair some day, and then I 
can read to myself again. And if not,” she 
added after a moment’s pause, “ it won’t be long 


GETTING SETTLED. 229 

before I shall go where my eyes will be as bright 
as anybody’s.” 

The good woman had been able to read to 
herself by means of her spectacles for many 
years, but her sight had gradually failed till she 
could see distinctly no more, and she thought 
the fault was in the spectacles. 

After thus finishing the “ reading half-hour ” 
Elvie went back to his table in the kitchen, and 
went on with his other two half-hour sessions of 
study. He allowed himself a few minutes in- 
termission between each half-hour, for rest, and 
for a brief visit to his room to see how the work 
was going on. Of course he did not set the sand 
to running in these cases until he came back 
and was ready to resume his work. When he 
had finished his four tasks he put every thing 
away in a drawer of the table, which Mr. Justin 
said he might use for this purpose, and then 

looking up at the clock he said : 

20 


230 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

“ Good ! It is just twelve o’clock. Time for 
Quimbo and Timothy to come home with their 
noon load.” 

So he put on his coat and cap, and went out 
into the yard. He found Quimbo was just 
coming with the load of wood up the lane. 
.Elvie went down to meet him, and helped him 
to unload his wood and pile it in the yard. Soon 
after this Timothy arrived, and the horn was 
blown to call them all to dinner. 

August had taken a good substantial luncheon 
with him, and was not to come home until two 
o’clock ; for the hours of study at the Academy 
were from nine in the morning to two in the 
afternoon. This arrangement was made, instead 
of the usual one of two sessions a day, on account 
of the distance from which many of the pupils 
had to come from the farms and little villages 
up and down the valley. August liked this 
arrangement very well as it required him to go 


GETTING SETTLED. 23 1 

and come only once, and gave him some time 
with Elvie at home. Then as he could always 
take a good luncheon with him to eat in the 
long recess, and as he always had a very substan- 
tial supper at six o’clock, at Deacon Justin’s, it 
was all right for him in respect to food. 

Things went on in this way very smoothly 
and pleasantly for several days, during which 
time the finishing and furnishing of Elvie’s room 
was completed in a very perfect manner. The 
wood Avork was painted, the walls were papered, 
a carpet was put upon the floor, and the furniture 
was moved in. Elvie liked everything very 
much, and he especially liked the stove, which 
as has already been said was in the form of an 
open fireplace of iron, standing out near the 
front of the hearth, and having doors by which 
it could be closed in front when desirable. 

When these doors were closed there were 
little openings that could be made below by 


232 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

means of a slide, and when there was a fire in 
the stove and the doors were shut, and the slide 
open, the air would be forced in quite swiftly 
from the room, to supply the vacancy within 
— or the tendency to a vacancy — produced by 
the draft in the chimney. People sometimes 
imagine in such a case that the air is drawn in 
through such openings by the action of some 
kind of force from within. But it is really forced 
in by the pressure of the air from without — 
that is from the room the pressure within 
being diminished by the effect of the ascent of 
the warm air up the chimney while that in the 
room is maintained in full by the constant access 
of the external air to it through the key-hole 
and crevices, and other accidental channels of 
communication which cannot be wholly prevent- 
ed in the most nicely finished rooms. Indeed 
it is fortunate that they cannot be prevented, 
for if a room were to be made absolutely air 


GETTING SETTLED. 233 

tight on every side, with no opening except 
through the chimney, the smoke from a stove 
communicating with the chimney would not go 
up the flue, but would all come out into the 
room, and as soon as the room became filled 
with smoke and deadly gases — the products of 
the combustion — the fire would go out. But 
then by opening a window to let a supply of fresh 
air come in, and by its weight force the heated 
air from the stove pipe up the chimney, the fire 
would soon kindle itself up again. 

Elvie was very much pleased with his stove, 
especially after August had explained to him 
the principle on which it operated, in respect to 
the draft, and the effects to be expected from 
the different modes of arranging the doors, 
slides, and dampers ; and he amused himself in 
trying various experiments, at different times, 
to kindle up or accelerate, or deaden the fire as 

might be required. 

20 * 


234 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

Hs liked his room and all the arrangements of it 
very much indeed. It was not actually complete 
at once, it is true, for in the course of the week 
after he went into it he thought of several little 
additional conveniences which he required. He 
procured these from time to time, as the want of 
them occurred to him, without however interrupt- 
ing on account of them the regular course of his 
studies from day to day, and he continued 
to spend two hours in his room, during the 
succeeding months of the winter, though he 
often went down during his reading half an hour 
to read his story aloud to grandmamma or to 
grandmother, and sometimes to both of them 
together. 

And sometimes on stormy days when it 
seemed lonesome in his room he used to take 
his work all together down into the kitchen — 
and do his work at the little table by the kitchen 
fire. Mrs. Justin seemed to like to have him do 
this very much. 


GETTING SETTLED. 


235 


When it was very stormy, however, Fan did 
not go to school, and on such occasions she used 
to come and sit in Elvie’s room, knitting or 
sewing, while he went on with his studies ; — 
though it was necessary in such cases to adopt 
some special plans by way of precaution to 
prevent her intejrupting him in his work. What 
these plans were will be explained perhaps in 
some future chapter. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

Memory Failing. 

JEAN’S grandmother was far advanced in 
life, and was much confined to her room, 
and even to her chair, but she was generally 
contented and happy. At her age persons are 
often happy in sitting still, with very little — as 
we should think — to amuse, or occupy their 
minds, provided that they are only free from 
pain, and have nothing specially to trouble them. 
It was a great gratification however to Fan’s 
grandmother to have Elvie come and read her 
a story. There were three reasons why it 
gratified her. First she was entertained herself 
by the story. Secondly it gave her a story to 

( 236 ) 


MEMORY FAILING. 237 

tell — with variations it is true — to Fan ; and 
thirdly, — and this perhaps was the principal 
source of the pleasure which Elvie’s reading 
afforded — it gratified her very much that so 
young a boy as Elvie was should be willing to 
take so much pains on her account. That is 
one great advantage indeed which young persons 
have, for the younger they are, in some cases, 
the more pleasure they can give by their kind- 
ness to those who are aged, or sick, or in any 
trouble. 

I have said that Fan’s grandmother used to 
tell the stories to Fan with variations. The 
truth was that her memory was failing a good 
deal, so that she could not always remember the 
facts of the narrative just as they were brought 
to her mind by Elvie’s reading ; and then 
moreover, as she had been accustomed in former 
years to make up stories entirely, for the 
entertainment of children ; she gradually fell 


238 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

into the habit of taking any fact, or incident, or 
narrative which came to her knowledge in any 
way. as the basis of a tale for the amusement of 
her listeners, and to enlarge and embellish it in 
any way to make it more entertaining. There 
was no objection to this so long as there was no 
pretension on her part that the tales she related 
were historically true. Indeed her plan was 
attended with some great advantages, and I 
recommend it for trial to all older brothers and 
sisters who may read this book, and who may 
themselves be called upon from time to time to 
make up or to repeat stories for the amusement 
of the younger children. 

For the sake of an example of the manner in 
which this old lady used to alter the stories, 
partly from the failure of her memory, and 
partly from her desire to make the narrative as 
entertaining as possible to Fan, I will here give 
the story Ox Dorinda’s Kitten, in the two forms 


MEMORY FAILING. 239 

in which it appeared — first as Elvie read it from 
his book , and then as it was afterward repeated 
to Fan by her grandmother. 

Dorinda’s Kitten. 

As read by Elvie from his Book. 

Once there was a girl named Dorinda. She 
had a doll and a kitten. The doll could talk, but 
the kitten could only mew. 

When I say the doll could talk I mean she 
could say one word, and that word was ma ma. 
Even this word she could not speak very plainly, 
and she only spoke it when Dorinda squeezed 
her chest a little. Still she spoke it plainly 
enough for Dorinda to understand her. 

Dorinda’s kitten was a very pretty one too, and 
she named her Florinda. She wished her kitten 
to have a name as much as possible like her own, 
and as her own name was Dorinda, she thought 
she would call her kitten Florinda. She had a 
cage for her kitten made of a box covered with 


240 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


a pretty wall paper, and with wires over the 
opening in front like the bars of a cage. There 
was a door in the side, for the kitten to go in 
and out, and a cushion on the top so that 
Dorinda could use the house as a seat for herself 
when she chose. 

There was a bureau in the chamber where 
Dorinda used to play, and her mother gave her 
the lower drawer of this bureau to keep her doll’s 
things in. A part of this drawer was filled with 
the doll’s dresses, and other such things, and the 
other part was used as the sleeping place for 
the doll herself during the night. There was a 
small counterpane in the back side of the drawer 
which Dorinda used to draw forward and to 
cover her doll with, up to the chin,— after she 
had put her to bed. 

One day Dorinda was playing with her 
kitten and her doll before this drawer, which as 
it: happened, was open at the time. The kitten 


MEMORY FAILING. 


241 


was playing about the floor. She had a pink 
and green ribbon around her neck, which was 
all the dress she ever wore. By and by she 
became tired of her play and so she crept into 
her house. “ That’s right,” said Dorinda, “ go 
into your house and lie down and go to sleep.” 

But Florinda did not stay long in her house, 
for Dorinda was continually moving about upon 
it in so restless a manner that she had no peace ; 
and so she determined to go out and see if she 
could not find a more quiet place to take a nap. 
In looking about for such a place she saw that 
the drawer was open, so she thought she would 
go in and see what sort of a bed she could find 
there. Dorinda happened to be sitting with her 
back to the drawer about that time, and did 
not see her go in. 

\ 

Florinda crept to the back side of the drawer 

to a place partly behind and partly under the 

counterpane, and saying to herself, “ Yes this is a 
21 


242 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


nice quiet place” — she lay down and soon went 
to sleep. 

It was on a summer afternoon, after tea, that 
all this happened, and when at length the sun 
began to go down Dorinda told her .doll that it 
was time for her to go to bed. 

“ Florinda went to bed long ago,” said she, 
u and it is time for you to go.” So she rose 
from her seat, and lifted up the cover of the 
cage or box, to show the doll that Florinda was 
already in bed. But to her surprise there was 
no kitten there. 

“ Why, dear me ! ” said she quite surprised. 
“ She has gone away somewhere. Where can 
she be gone ? ” 

Then she turned again to Dorabella her doll, 
for that was the name she had given to the doll, 
and said : 

“ Never mind. I’ll lay you down in your bed 
and go and find Florinda, and then I will come 


MEMORY FAILING. 243 

and cover you up and put Florinda to bed, and 
then I will go to bed myself. Should you like 
that ? ” 

Dorabella answered “ Ma-Ma. ” 

“That’s. right,” said Dorinda. “ That means 
Yes, mam-ma, and you are a good little girl 
for being so ready to go. ” 

Although all Dorabella’s answers were the 
same, namely ma-ma , and were only given when 
Dorinda squeezed her, yet Dorinda understood 
them in different ways, according to the kind of 
answers in each particular case, which the doll 
ought to give. This was an excellent plan as it 
saved the maker of the doll a great deal of 
trouble in his work ; for the interior mechanism 
would have been necessarily very complicated to 
enable her to give all the different answers which 
would have been required in the many conversa- 
tions that Dorinda held with her. 

Dorinda placed her doll in the drawer, without 


244 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


however disturbing Florinda who was still fast 
asleep herself, and went away to look for the kit- 
ten. She looked for her everywhere, up stairs and 
down stairs and in the kitchen. The kitten was 
nowhere to be found, — which was not at all 
surprising since the poor thing was fast asleep 
in the back part of the bureau drawer — wholly 
unconscious of the anxiety and trouble that her 
mysterious disappearance had occasioned. 

In the meantime Dorinda, after looking every- 
where for her kitten in vain, went to find her 
brother Ralph to ask him to help her. But 
Ralph was interested in looking at some pictures 
in a new picture book, and he began to shew 
them to his sister. In this way her attention 
was diverted from the lost kitten, and she thought 
no more, either about Florinda or the doll, till 
she became sleepy and was taken away to bed. 

Her mother, as she was going through the 
room where the bureau was, some time after- 


MEMORY FAILING. 245 

wards, seeing the drawer open pushed it in as 
she passed it, and put the cage in its place in 
the corner of the room. 

Thus the kitten was shut up in the drawer as 
in a prison, for the night. 

The next morning one of the first things that 
Dorinda thought of was her kitten, and as soon 
as she was dressed, she recommenced her search. 
She soon found her brother, and persuaded him 
to help her. They together looked all over the 
lower part of the house, and in the kitchen, and 
in the shed, and even out in the yard, but no- 
where was Florinda to be found. 

All this time the poor kitten was mewing 
piteously in the drawer, for^he was tired of her 
long confinement, and hungry for her breakfast, 
and so she was uttering plaintive mewings which 
was the only way she had of saying “ I want to 
get out, I want to get out.” 

After searching everywhere in vain, Dorinda 
21* 


246 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

took Ralph up stairs to show him where the 
kitten was when she was last seen. Now it 
happened that the bureau stood with its back 
to a wall which was formed by the partition 
between the chamber and the entry, and as the 
children came up the stairs and passed along 
the entry their attention was suddenly attracted 
by the sound of the mewing. 

“ Hark ! ” said Ralph. “ There she is.” 

“ Where ? ” asked Dorinda, looking about 
eagerly. 

The kitten hearing their voices began to mew 
again louder than before — as much as to say, 
‘ Do let me out ! Do let me out ! * 

" She is in the partition,” said Ralph. “ She 
has got in there somehow or other from the 
garret, and has fallen down. We must take off 
the base-board and let her out.” * 


* The hase-board is the board which may be seen along 
the lower side of the wall next to the floor in almost all rooms. 


MEMORY FAILING. 


247 

“ I must go and get a hammer,” said Ralph, 
after a moment’s pause, “ and take off the base- 
board, and then when we have got Florinda out, 
we will nail it on again.” 

So he went to get the hammer, but before he 
commenced his carpentering, his father came by 
and asked him what he was going to do. He 
said he was going to take a part of the house 
down to let the kitten out. 

The sound it seems passed through the 
crevices in such a way as to make him think the 
kitten was in the partition. 

His father listened. The kitten mewed again. 

“Hear her, father!” said Ralph. “ She is in 
there behind the board, and we must take off the 
board to get her out.” 

His father said nothing in reply to this, but at 

It is placed there to prevent the plastering from being carried 
quite down to the floor, where it would be wet by the mop 
when the floor was washed, and soon made to crumble and 
come off. The board is on this account sometimes called the 
mop-board , 


248 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

once went on and passed through the door into 
the chamber. He put his ear down near the end 
of the bureau. The kitten mewed again. He 
then gently and cautiously opened the lower 
drawer of the bureau, and to the great astonish- 
ment of the children, as soon as the opening was 
wide enough, the kitten jumped out with the 
greatest alacrity, darted toward the door, went 
out like a flash, and racing down-stairs three 
steps at a time, disappeared. 

And that is the end of the story. 

Such was the story as Elvie read it from the 
book. And now for the form in which Fan 
heard it from her grandmother, that evening, 
just before she went to bed. It will be seen that 
her grandmother did not get the account exactly 
right, for the way in which she related it was 
somewhat as follows : 

The Story as it was related to Fan by her Grand - 
mother. 

Once there was a child named Flora and she 
had a doll named Bell. I believe their real 


MEMORY FAILING. 249 

names were rather longer, but that is all that I 
can remember of them. 

Bell was a very nice doll and could talk. The 
man that made her took a great deal of trouble 
with the contrivances inside, so that she could 
say anything that Flora wanted her to say. 
Flora had a house for her doll too, with an iron 
railing in front, and a door at the side for Bell 
to go in and out. She had a great many dresses 
too in a drawer. The prettiest of them was pink 
and green. 

One night when it was time for Bell to go to 
bed, Flora asked her if she was sleepy ; and she 
said, “ Yes, ma-ma , yes, ma-tna So Flora 
undressed her and put on her night-clothes, and 
then looked for the kitten, but the kitten had 
run away. So she laid down Bell in the drawer, 
and told her to lie still while she went to find her 
kitten. And Bell said, “ Yes, ma-ma, yes, ma-ma'.' 

Then Fan went to find her kitten. But she 


250 


GHANVILLE VALLEY. 


could not find her anywhere. But Ralph had a 
picture book. So she thought she would take 
the picture book and go and show Bell the 
pictures. While she was doing -it, Bell went to 
sleep, and Flora herself became sleepy : and by 
and by her mother came and shut up the drawer 
with Bell in it, and took Flora away and carried 
her to bed. And so Bell slept in the drawer all 
night. 

But the kitten went rambling all about the 
house in the night, and finally went into the 
garret, and there while she was creeping about 
in the dark, she fel into a hole, and came down 
in the partition to a place opposi c to where the 
bureau stood with Bell in the drawer. Here she 
began to mew for the people to come and let her 
out But nobody came, and so she had to stay 
till morning. In the morning she began to mew 
again. And Bell waked up too, and began to 
call, “ Ma-ma / Ma-ma ! Come and let me out” 


MEMORY FAILING. 25 I 

By and by the people came and listened, and 
the sounds came through the crevices as if both 
the kitten and the doll were in the partition. 
But Flora’s father went round and opened the 
drawer and found Bell there, and Flora took her 
up and dressed her, and prepared her for break- 
fast ; and the carpenter came and took off the 
mop-board, and as soon as it was off, the kitten 
dashed out and ran down-stairs as fast as she 
could go, and was never heard of more. 

“ And the moral of this story,” continued the 
grandmother — for she always, if she could, 
deduced some moral or other from her stories— 
“ is a warning to you and to all other little girls 
like you, never to go groping about in the night, 
in dark and frightful places, for fear you might 
fall into some hole.” 

“ No, grandmother,” said Fan, " I promise you 
I never will.” 

Such was the story in grandmother’s rendering 
of it Some time afterward Fan feeling a desire 


252 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

to hear the story again, asked Elvie to read it to 
her, out of his book. But she did not like it 
nearly so well in that form as in the other. She 
said it was not nearly as pretty a story as he read 
it, as it was in the way her grandmother told 
it to her. 






CHAPTER XVII. 

Going into the Woods. 

C^ATURDAY was a holiday at the Academy, 
and also at Fan’s school, and of course both 
August and Fan were more at liberty on that day 
of the week, than on other days. August made it 
a holiday for Elvie too, by not requiring him to 
study in his room on that day. But August 
himself, though he did not go to his classes at 
the Academy, usually spent the forenoon on 
Saturday in Elvie’s room, which he had then all 
to himself, and employed himself in reviewing 
what he had gone over during the preceding 
week, so as to make himself more perfectly 
master of what he had learned ; or in working 

22 • ( 253 ) 



254 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

out some of the problems in algebra or geometry 

which were to come in the lessons of the following 

week — thus facilitating his progress in the work 

that was before him. By pursuing this course 

he soon began to take a high rank in all his 

classes. 

Elvie had been intending to take Fan with 
him some Saturday into the woods, and in order 
to prepare the way for such a visit from her to 
the wood-lot, he had made what he called a 
camp for her, where he could have a fire to keep 
her warm. 

This camp was made as follows. Elvie first 
took a pole — which he made by cutting down a 
tall and slender tree, and then cutting off the top 
and using the stem for his pole — and placing it 
across from one evergreen tree to another, resting 
the ends of the pole among the branches. Then 
he cut off a great many other branches of spruce 
and hemlock trees, and laid them in a sloping 


GOING INTO THE WOODS. 255 

position from this pole to the ground, forming 
with them a kind of roof — the pole serving for 
the ridge, and the long branches, the rafters. 
This roof covered a space large enough for two 
or three persons to sit in — and for seats Elvie 
provided a great number of small soft hemlock 
boughs — the ends of the big branches. He also 
cleared a place in front of this hut for his fire, 
and gathered together a considerable quantity 
of dry and' partially decayed wood, which of 
course was very combustible, for fuel. 

On the first Saturday after he had finished 
these preparations he intended to propose to Fan 
to go down with him when he and Quimbo went 
down with the sled, and remain there with him 
in the hut, until the load was ready to come up 
again. But that morning proved to be very 
cold and windy, and Fan’s grandmamma was 
almost afraid to let her go. 

“ There’ll be no wind in the woods, I know,” 


256 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

said she. “ It is the going and coming that I 

am afraid of. The poor thing will freeze.” 

August said he thought that they could muffle 
her up well in buffalo robes and blankets, on 
the way, so as to protect her well from the wind. 

“ Yes, if you were going too,” said Mrs. Justin, 
" I should not have any fear.” 

Elvie then earnestly begged that August 
would go with them, and August finally con- 
sented on condition that while they were there 
Elvie should give him, out of his pkiy time, 
fifteen minutes for three talk-lessons, five minutes 
for each. 

“ And what should Fan do all the time ? ” 
asked Elvie. 

“ She would have to sit still and listen,” said 
August. 

“ Yes,” said Fan, who was quite eager to have 
August go, as it was only on that condition that 
she could go herself. “Yes, I’ll sit still and' 
listen. I won’t speak a word.” 


GOING INTO THE WOODS. 257 

So it was settled that they all should go, and 
they immediately began to make their prepara- 
tions. 

While Fan with the help of her grandmamma 
was making herself ready in the house, August 
and Elvie went out into the yard to see about 
the best mode of conveyance for her. They 
found Timothy and Quimbo yoking up the oxen 
and attaching them to the sled. August asked 
Timothy if he was willing to take some 
passengers, and among them a young lady. 
Timothy said at once that he would take as many 
passengers down as wanted to go — and the more 
young ladies the better ; but he could not 
promise much about bringing them back, for 
his sled would then be loaded with wood. He 
could not bring anything back but what he could 
take in tow. 

August and Elvie were satisfied with this 

arrangement and so they proceeded to make 
22* 


258 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

their preparations, — August taking the direction. 
They brought out a quantity of hay and made 
a kind of bed of it upon the board which formed 
the floor of the sled. Then they spread a buffalo 
robe over this hay, having first bundled up a 
portion of it under the buffalo, near one end, for 
a pillow. They laid another buffalo at the side 
to be used as a coverlid when Fan should be in 
her place. 

“ There ! ” said August, “ that will be a good 
way to take her down into the woods. Now 
for a safe contrivance to bring her back. ” 

So saying he brought a large framed sled, of 
the kind which the farmers generally use as a 
hand sled. Such a sled is considerably larger 
than those which the boys use for coasting, and 
has holes in the side bars for stakes. August 
put in the stakes, and also laid upon the sled 
some short boards. The use for which he 
intended these boards will appear by and by. 


GOING INTO THE WOODS. 259 

Upon these boards he put a basket containing 
provisions for the camp. The basket was kept 
in its place by the stakes. 

The sled, thus prepared, he fastened by its 
rope to a stake in the back part of the big sled. 

“ There ! ” said August, when this had been 
done. “You, El vie, can ride on this sled in 
going down to the wood-lot if you please, but 
Fan must have it coming back.” 

“ It will be big enough for Fan and me too,” 
said Elvie. 

When all was ready August went into the 
house and brought out Fan in his arms. She 
was of course well wrapped up — her face being 
nearly covered with a warm hood which came 
well forward over it. The wind was blowing 
almost a gale, but she was well protected from 
it, and did not care for it at all. August laid 
her down gently on the bed which he had 
prepared for her, and then spread the spare 


260 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


buffalo over her, covering her with it all around 
her head, and up above her chin so that no 
opening was left except a small peep hole 
opposite her eyes. He tucked up her feet also 
well with the lower part of the buffalo. 

“ There ! ” said August. “ You must play 
that you are a doll and that your mother has 
put you to bed and told you that you must shut 
up your eyes, and go to sleep.” 

“ And must I really go to sleep ? ” asked 
Fan. 

“ No,” said August, “ not unless you get sleepy. 
It might be a good plan to shut your eyes *a 
minute or two, when we start, just for play.” 

“All ready,” asked Timothy who was stand- 
ing near the head of the oxen. 

“ All ready;” responded August. 

The great sled immediately began to move 
on, dragging the small sled after it. Elvie 
immediately jumped upon the small sled, to get 


GOING INTO THE WOODS. 26 1 

a ride down upon that, while August and 
Timothy stood upon the large sled, each one 
steadying himself by a stake. 

“ Won’t you come and ride here with me, 
August?” said Elvie. “There’s room enough 
for us both.” 

“ No,” said August. “ There is better air up 
nere. 

He might well say there was better air, or at 
least more air where he and Timothy were 
standing, for the wind was very keen and cold. 
It gradually abated however, as they descended 
the lane, though it increased again as they were 
. crossing the pond. But when at length they 
entered the wood, it seemed to become suddenly 
calm. It is usually calm in the woods even 
when there is quite a high wind blowing in the 
open ground— the movement of the air being 
intercepted by the trees, where trees grow 
tolerably thick together, and especially where 


262 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


there are groups of evergreen bushes growing 
among the larger trees. 

Although the sled in entering into the wood 
was sheltered by the trees from the wind — which 
was blowing from the north-west — the sun 
shone in along the road — which fortunately 
entered the wood from the south — and made it 
comparatively warm and pleasant there. Fan, 
finding that the weather was for some cause or 
other moderating, began to put her head out 
from under its coverings. 

Observing that the wind did not blow any 
longer she threw off the buffalo robe from her 
head and began to sit up. August then took 
his seat upon the hay by the side of her, both 
he and Fan leading their back against a stake 
on the side, as they rode on. 

“ Elvie,” said August, “ did I ever tell you 
what the plan was of teaching the scholars to 
write composition, at the Academy ? ” 


GOING INTO THE WOODS. 263 

Elvie said he had not. 

“ Then I’ll tell you now,” said August. “ You 
see scholars in school — and especially the 
younger ones — are always very unwilling to 
write composition. Indeed they generally make 
great complaint about it. This is partly because 
they have too many things to attend to at once. 
So at the academy they have different classes 
— or rather different grades of classes — so that 
the scholars shall only have one thing to learn 
at a time. 

“ The youngest class have nothing t© do but to 
copy sentences out of books, just as they are 
printed in the books, till they learn to copy them 
correctly, with all the spelling, and punctuation, 
and capitals, just as they are in the book. That 
is what you are doing now in your half-hour of 
writing. Thus they have the thoughts given 
them, and the language , and the way of writing 
the words y and have nothing to do but copy them 


264 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

right, so as to learn how to spell words and to 

place cap^als and stops right, by imitation . 

" In the next grade,” continued August, “ the 
classes have the sentences given them, but they 
do not see them written, and they have to find 
out the way to spell the words, and to place the 
capitals, and the stops, right themselves. You 
have not got to that grade yet, though as soon 
as you would like to try and see if you can do it, 
I will give you some lessons in that grade. The 
way they give the lessons in the Academy is to 
let the boys or girls take something that they 
know by heart, and let them see if they can 
write it correctly. I heard the teacher giving 
this to a class of girls for their exercise, one 
day : 

Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep. 

And don’t know where to find them : 

Let’m alone. 

And they’ll come home. 

Wagging their tails behind them.* 


GOING INTO THE WOODS. 265 

The teacher told them they could all 
remember those lines, and they must write them 
carefully, making each line of the poetry a 
separate line on the paper, and beginning each 
line with a capital letter. They must also put a 
comma wherever there was a pause in the sense, 
and a period at the end. 

They all then went to their seats and wrote, 
and then when they came to the class the next 
day bringing their papers, the teacher wrote the 
lines on the black-board as they ought to be 
written, explaining everything as he went on, 
while they all looked at their writings — each at 
her own— to see what mistakes they had made. 
They had pencils to correct their mistakes with, 
and then for the next lesson they were to make 
a new copy of the lines, with all the mistakes 
corrected, and these new and corrected copies 
they hand in for the teacher t examine.” 

“ I should like to write such a lesson as that,” 

said Fan — “ about Little Bo-peep.” 

23 


266 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“Do you know any other poetry like that, 
that you could write ? ” asked August. 

“ I know about Jumping Jack/’ said Fan. 

“What is it about Jumping Jack?” asked 
August. 

“ It is this,” said Fan : 

“ Jumping Jack 
Has a crick in his back. 

And he jerks his legs and arms about. 

“ There is some more of it, but I don’t know 
the rest.” 

“ That’s enough for a very good lesson,” said 
August. 

“ Only I can’t write it unless you hold my 
xiand,” said Fan. 

“ Well, I’ll hold your hand,” said August, “ and 
we’ll make a nice lesson of it for you.” 

At this point of the conversation the oxen 
stopped, having come to the place where the sled 
was to be loaded with wood. 


GOING INTO THE WOODS. 


267 

“ Good ! ” said August. “ 1 imotby has stop- 
ped just in the right time, for we have just 
finished the first five minutes’ lesson.” 

Elvie was surprised to hear this, and said he 
did not think that that would be called a 
lesson. 

“ Yes,” said August, “it will be a very good 
lesson if you remember it, and are careful when 
you are copying from a book, and notice all 
the spelling, and punctuation, and especially if 
you remember the second, and third lessons, X 
am to give you by and by.” 




CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Camp . 

rjpHE snow was pretty well trodden down alt 

around the place where the sled stopped, 

for Timothy and Quimbo and the oxen had 

worked about there a good deal since the last 

snow had fallen ; and besides, Elvie, in walking 

to and fro, and hauling the wood for his fire, had 

made a pretty good road to his camp. Still 

August — knowing very well that the chief 

difficulty with young persons, and especially 

with girls, in the woods in winter, is to keep 

the feet warm, and presuming moreover that 

Fan was not provided with such thick and stout 

boots as he and Elvie wore — took her up in his 

( 268 ) 


THE CAMP. 269 

arms and carried her to the camp, while Elvie 
followed him with one of the buffalo robes. 
Elvie spread the robe over the seat of hemlock 
boughs which he had formed, and then placed 
Fan upon it. She seemed quite surprised to 
find so nice and soft a seat in Elvie’s camp, and 
said it was as good as a sofa. 

Elvie then took out his match-box, and 
kindled the fire — the wood for which, of course, 
had been already laid beforehand. The fire 
soon blazed up quite high, and threw out a fine 
glow on every side, and especially into the camp 
where Fan was sitting, and made the place not 
only warm, but very cheerful and pleasant. 

Elvie then went to the sled and brought the 

basket of provisions. Fan rose from her seat 

and commenced unpacking the apples, and 

doughnuts, and cakes, and turn-overs, and other 

provisions which her grandmamma had provided 

her with. The apples she put down upon a flat 
23 * 


270 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

stone before the fire which Elvie had placed 

there. The other things she laid on one side. 

By the time that these arrangements had been 
made, August, who had in the mean time been 
helping Quimbo load the sled, came to see how 
they were getting on at the camp, and to give 
Elvie his second lesson. This second lesson, he 
said, was to be an explanation of the third grade , 
in the work of learning to write composition. 

Elvie was all ready to receive the lesson. He 
took his seat by the side of Fan, saying : 

“ It will be only five minutes Fan, and the 
apples will be roasting all the time. Only you 
must not talk to interrupt us.” 

“ No,” said Fan. “ I won’t speak a word. 
But I suppose I can watch my apples.” 

“ Oh yes,” said August, “ you can watch your 
apples, and if you think of anything special that 
you want to say, you can say it. ’ 

So August began his lesson — while Fan sat 


THE CAMP. 271 

with her hands folded before her, and her eyes 
intently fixed upon her apples. He explained 
that whereas in the first grade the scholars had 
simply to copy correctly the spelling and the 
punctuation which they had before them in the 
book from which they copied — so that they had 
nothing to do but to turn printed words into 
written words, and to see that the copy was 
made correctly — and in the second had the words 
which they were to write not visibly before them, 
but only ready in their memories, and so had to 
determine the spelling, the capitals, and the 
punctuation, for themselves — in the third, that is 
the one which he was now to explain, they had 
only the thoughts furnished them by the teacher, 
and they were obliged to put the thoughts into 
zvords themselves. 

“ And now,” he continued, speaking to Elvie, 
“ I am going to give you a lesson of the third 
grade for your next writing half-hour. I am 


272 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

going to show you a picture and give you some 
thoughts about it, in such a way that you will 
not be able to remember exactly the words that 
I use, but only the thoughts ; and so you will 
have to put them into words yourself when the 
time comes.” 

So saying August opened his pocket-book, 
and took from it a very peculiar-looking picture, 
a copy of which is shown in the engraving. 

“ This is a curious picture,” said August, “ as 
you see. It is of the kind called a silhouette. 
That is the first thing that I give you to say 
about it — namely, that it is a silhouette. A 
silhouette is a picture formed of plain black 
figures on a white ground. That is the second 
thought. If you forget what a silhouette is 
however you can look the word out in a 
dictionary : only to do that you must remember 
how the word is spelled.” 

So August spelled the word distinctly, syllable 
by syllable, and let Elvie spell it after him. 



* 















THE CAMP. 


273 

0 

“We will take you into the class too, Fan,” 
said August, “ only silhouette is too hard a word 
for you to spell. But you can spell the words 
boy and dog , and they are both in the picture.” 

August then gave those words to Fan, one 
after the other, to spell, and she spelled them 
and seemed much pleased to think that she was 
taken into the class. 

“ Remember,” said August, “ that a silhouette 
is a picture formed of figures uniform black, 
upon a white ground.” * 

“Yes,” said Fan looking at the picture. 
“ The ground is white. It looks as if there was 
snow upon it.” 

“ Ah, but the word ground in speaking of 
such a picture as this,” said August, “ does not 
mean the earth that the boy and the dog are 
standing upon, but all the rest of the paper 
except what is taken up by the figures. But 
you need not put that into your composition, 


274 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

Elvie, unless you choose. I will give you two 
more thoughts to put in, besides describing 
what a silhouette is. One is you can state that 
there is a boy and a dog in the picture, and a 
ball upon the ground. The other is that the 
boy has a whip in his hand, but that the dog 
does not seem to be afraid that the boy is going 
to whip him.” 

“ No,” said Fan, “ he does not seem a bit 
afraid.” 

“ And that is the end of your second five 
minutes’ lesson,” said August. “ So now, Fan, 
you can attend to the roasting of your apples.” 

So August went away and left Elvie and Fan 
to attend to their own affairs at the camp, while 
he assisted Quimbo in completing the load. Fan 
was so much pleased with having been recognized 
as a member of the class, that she spelled boy and 
dog several times, in the intervals of her other 
occupations. Elvie himself was reminded by her 


THE CAMP. 275 

assiduity to take measures for not forgetting the 
mode of spelling silhouette, and for this purpose 
he procured a short stick, and using the end of 
it as the ancients were accustomed to employ 
their pointed iron styles , in writing upon tablets 
of wax, he wrote the word on the smooth surface 
of the snow by the side of the hut. 

This was an excellent plan — for what we write 
we impress upon our memories by the very act 
of writing it, which is in addition to the benefit 
we derive from having the writing itself to refer 
to afterwards. to refresh our recollection. Elvie 
availed himself of both these advantages in the 
case of the word written upon the snow. For 
more than once, as he passed by the place in 
going in and out of his camp, he paused an 
instant to repeat the spelling of the word to 
himself, and then afterward, when on the next 
Monday the time came in his writing hour for 
him to write his composition on that subject, he 


27 6 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

had no difficulty in spelling the words. For by 
shutting his eyes, or even without shutting them, 
by looking dreamily into space for a moment, he 
could re-awaken in his mind an image of the 
writing on the snow, with all the letters 
composing it, each in its proper place. 

“ I verily believe,” said he, “ that I should 
have forgotten how that word was spelled, if I 
had not written it so plainly on the snow.” 

This is indeed one of the chief advantages of 
taking notes of one’s reading, or keeping a 
journal in which to record important facts. The 
very act of writing has the effect of impressing 
the fact upon the memory, as well as of recording 
it upon the paper. 

Elvie and August amused themselves so well 
at their camp-fire that when the sled was loaded, 
and it was time for Quimbo to go with it to the 
house, they concluded not to go with him, but 
to wait till the next time ; for this would give 


THE CAMP. 2 77 

them an hour or two longer at their camp-fire. 
When Quimbo had gone, August went to help 
Timothy' cut and prepare some wood, while 
Elvie was occupied from time to time, in 
preparing more fuel for the fire, by means of a 
small sized axe that belonged to him and which 
he always brought with him when he came to 
the woods — and in hauling the wood so prepared 
to his camp. 

In the course of Quimbo’s absence with the 
sled August came to the camp to give the 
children their third five minutes’ lesson. This 
lesson consisted of an account of the manner in 
which such children as they could make 
silhouette pictures. These directions were sub- 
stantially as follows : 

“ The first thing is,” he said, “ to procure some 
sheets of black paper — that is paper that is black 
on one side. I don’t know how you will manage 
to procure such paper. They may not have any 

in the paper store in Granville.” 

24 


278 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

“ I know,” said Elvie. “ I can write to my 
father, and he can send me some from New 
York. He can fold it large, and put it into one 
of his big envelopes.” 

“ That will be an excellent way,” said August 
And August then went on to explain that a 
sheet of the black paper, when procured, must 
be spread out upon a board in the shop, the 
black side down, and tacked here and there at 
the edges with carpet-tacks, to prevent its curling 
up in drying ; and then that it must be gummed 
all over with a thin coat of gum or mucilage, 
like a sheet of postage stamps. Then when it 
was dry the figures were to be cut out of it, and 
finally the figures were to be gummed upon 
pieces of white paper, which would form the 
“ ground.” 

Another way was to cut out the figures first 
and then gum them afterward. The outlines of 
the figures, he said, could be drawn upon the 


THE CAMP. 279 

white side of the paper, or could be traced upon 
it from any other picture, and then when the 
figures were cut out, they could be gummed 
afterwards ; only in gumming them they must 
be laid upon a smooth piece of waste paper of 
some kind, to prevent gumming the table. 

Then, moreover, in all cases after pictures are 
gummed and placed as they are to go upon the 
white paper, the whole must be put somewhere 
under pressure, to keep them smooth and flat 
while they are drying. 

When August had finished these explanations 
he said that that was the third lesson. The 
children were surprised to hear that such talk as 
this was to be considered as a lesson ; but Au- 
gust said that anything was a lesson that gave 
them useful instruction. 

At length the time arrived for them all to 
return home to dinner. The ox-sled had come 
back and had received its second load, and so 


280 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


August prepared the hand-sled for Fan. Elvie, 
who at first had proposed to ride home on the 
hand-sled with Fan, finally concluded that it 
would be more romantic, or, as he expressed it, 
“ better fun,” to ride on the top of the load of 
wood. So August arranged some of the top 
sticks on a level, with the smooth sides upper- 
most, and then spread one of the buffalo robes 
upon it, and so made quite a comfortable seat. 

Then, by means of some hay and the other 
buffalo robe, he made a good seat for Fan upon 
the hand-sled, and when he had placed her upon 
it he took the short boards which he had pro- 
vided and placed them behind her back and 
against the stakes, for her to lean against and to 
prevent her falling out behind. 

In this way the whole party returned to the 
house, The wind had now gone down, and the 
sun \yas shining bright and warm, so Elvie and 
Fan had not only a very pleasant but a very 
comfortable ride home. 


THE CAMP. 


28l 


That very afternoon Elvie wrote to his father, 
requesting him to send some sheets of black 
paper suitable for cutting silhouettes. He re- 
ceived the paper early the following week, in an 
envelope so large that the postmaster supposed 
it must contain very important documents, and 
wondered what they could be. 

From these sheets Elvie and Fan cut out a 
great many silhouettes, and pasted them upon 
small sheets of white paper, which thus formed 
the back-ground of the figure. Fan’s picture, it 
must be confessed, had not at first much mean- 
ing. They consisted of little squares and dia- 
monds and three-cornered figures, and other odd 
shapes of various kinds. It amused her to cut 
out these things and gum them upon white 
paper, and then to look at them and observe the 
effect. Elvie took more pains with his work, 
and for patterns made tracings of simple figures 
of children and animals, the models for which 

24 * 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


282 

he obtained from pictorial newspapers and books. 
August, observing that he took pains to draw 
and cut them accurately, made him a small book 
to gum them into — one on each page — and in 
the end Elvie formed in this book quite a curious 
collection. 

Elvie also wrote a composition on the subject 
of the silhouette which August had shewn him. 
This was a composition of the third grade, as 
classed at the Academy — that is one in which 
the thoughts , but not the words nor the modes 
of spelling and writing them, were furnished the 
pupil. His composition was as follows : 

“THE SILHOUETTE. 

“A silhouette is made of figures cut out of 
black paper and gummed upon white — only in 
this one the black is printed on the same paper. 

“ There is a boy and a dog and a ball on the 
ground, and the boy has got a whip. 

“ But the dog is not afraid that he is going to 


THE CAMP. 283 

be whipped, I suppose because he knows he has 
not done anything wrong.” 

“ I thought I would put that in,” said Elvie, 
looking up from his paper when he had finished 
reading his composition, “ though you did not 
tell us that.” 

“ It was an excellent plan to put it in,” said 
August. “You not only expressed the thoughts 
I gave you, but you put in a new one of your 
own. That shows that you are nearly advanced 
enough to be promoted into the next grade.” 

“ How are the boys promoted at the Aca- 
demy ?” asked Elvie. 

“ They promote themselves pretty much,” 
said August. “ That is if they write carefully 
and correctly in one grade, and feel as if they 
would like to try the next, the teacher promotes 
them and lets them try. On the other hand, if 
any boy who is in the higher grade — where the 
teacher gives the class a subject and they have 


28 4 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

to furnish their own thoughts — complains that 
he can’t think of anything to say, the teacher 
says, ‘ It is my fault, I have put you forward 
into too high a grade. If you would like it I can 
let you go back into the next lower grade, where 
I tell you what to say, and all you have to do is 
to find words to say it.’ ” 

Elvie paused and appeared to be reflecting 
upon this plan. It seemed to him that he would 
not like to be put back very well. 

“ And yet,” said he, “ they might really not be 
able to think of anything to say.” 

“'No,” said August, “that is almost impos- 
sible. No matter what the subject is, if you know 
what the word means , you must have some ideas 
about it. That is to say, the very hearing of 
the word must awaken some thoughts in your 
mind ; and all you have to do is to write some 
one of those thoughts, whatever they are. It is 
not of much consequence what the thought is. 


THE CAMP. 285 

You learn the art of putting thoughts into words, 
and expressing them in writing, as well by one 
as by another. For instance, in the class where 
the boy said he did not know what to write, the 
subject which the teacher had given out was 
Garden.” 

“ Well,” said Elvie, after thinking a moment, 
“ I should not know what to say about * gar- 
dens.’ ” 

_ “ And yet you have thoughts enough if you 
would only look into your mind for them. 
Think a moment. Does not the word garden 
awaken any idea whatever in your mind ? ” 

“ Only that it is a place where flowers grow,” 
said Elvie. 

“ Well,” said August, “ that is an idea. Write 
that. You will learn as much by expressing 
that correctly and well, on paper, as you would 
by any other ; and you could not well have a 
better sentence to begin your composition with. 


285 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


And by the time you have that written, another 
will come into your mind, and so on.” 

August was perfectly right in this reasoning. 
There is no subject whatever that can be assign- 
ed for a composition in school which does not 
suggest some thought or other to every member 
of the class, if he would only look into his mind 
and see what the thought is ; and if he would sit 
down at once and write that, the difficulty would 
all be over. The trouble is never want of 
thoughts in the mind, but want of a channel of 
communication open between the mind and the 
pen. I advise, therefore, all the readers of this 
book — whether old or young— whenever a sub- 
ject for composition is assigned to them, to 
spend no time in dreading the writing, or in 
thinking they have nothing to say, but the very 
first time that they have five minutes to spare to 
take pen or pencil and write carefully and cor- 
rectly the first thought that is suggested to their 


THE CAMP. 287 

minds by the subject that has been given them. 
When they have written this first sentence, they 
will find that the difficulty is usually over. They 
can put the paper away and finish the work at 
any other time. They will find that when they 
have thus once begun , thoughts will come faster 
than they can write them ; and as happens very 
often, indeed, in such cases, they will have more 
difficulty in determining where to stop than 
they did in finding out how r to make a begin- 
ning. 

After they have written the first copy — or 
the first draft , as it is generally called — in this 
way, they should then — usually at a third sitting 
— look it all over very carefully, and see if there 
are any improvements that can be made in the 
work, either in the arrangement of the different 
thoughts or in the modes of expression, and 
then make a new and fair copy of the w r hole. 
They who will pursue this method will generally 


288 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

find that all their trouble about writing compo- 
sition will have disappeared. And the most 
important of all the directions is to be satisfied 
with the mere writing of one sentence as a 
beginning for the first part of the work— or 
rather with making a beginning at once even 
though you have only time to write one sentence. 
The relief to the mind of having the work begun, 
and one sentence written, is something wonderful 
in such cases, and makes all the remaining work 
comparatively easy. 

I ought perhaps to say, before ending this 
chapter, that there is a kind of composition 
required of advanced pupils in higher schools 
and seminaries, which is not included in the 
series of grades described by August ; and that 
is where a subject is assigned which the pupils 
are required to investigate — by seeking informa- 
tion in regard to it, in encyclopedies, and 
gazetteers, or other books of reference — and 


THE CAMP. 289 

then to arrange the facts, and present them n 
a systematic and connected form. The work of 
gathering information, and arranging it in a 
methodical form, and presenting it in a clear and 
lucid manner, requires a kind of skill which is to 
be acquired by a practicing somewhat more 
advanced than that which was provided for in 
the grades which August described ; for these 
were arranged only with a view of teaching the 
children to express correctly in writing, such 
thoughts as would readily suggest themselves to 
their minds , or could be acquired without any 
special study. 



25 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Frying Maple Sugar Cakes . 

"PPLVIE went on during the succeeding month 
of the winter very prosperously with his 
studies, for two hours every morning, on the plan 
which August had arranged. When his reading 
half-hour came he usually went down to read his 
story aloud to “ grandmamma,” and this was a 
great help to him in learning to read distinctly 
and intelligibly. It is always a great help to 
boys or girls in learning to read well, to have 
some one to read to : for the desire to make the 
persons who listen to them understand the story, 
has a great influence in leading them t ;> read as 
distinctly as possible, and so to modulate their 

( 290 ) 


FRYING MAPLE SUGAR CAKES. 29 1 

voice in reading the dialogue parts as to convey 
the full force and import of what is said to the 
mind of the hearer. If a mother takes the 
opportunity when she is seated at some quiet 
work, of letting one or the other of her children 
read to her from some entertaining story, which 
she has expressly reserved for the purpose, on 
account of its being one specially adapted to 
amuse or interest the reader, the children almost 
always improve very rapidly, and sometimes 
become excellent readers at a very early age. 

Sometimes this is done by older boys or girls 
who take an interest in the improvement of 
their younger brothers and sisters. But when 
the older ones don’t care much about the 
improvement of the younger ones, they would 
rather read the books themselves. 

Fan was generally at school during the fore- 
noon, so that the house was usually very still 
during Elvie’s study hours. Sometimes, however, 


292 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

she staid at home, especially when the great 
snow storms came, during the latter part of the 
month of February. 

One of Elvie’s half-hours, it will be remembered, 
was to be devoted to reading some book of 
useful instruction and taking notes or making 
memoranda of the things that interested him in 
what he read. These notes August used to look 
over afterward, and Elvie would explain to him 
what they meant. Sometimes Elvie would 
make these notes more than mere memoranda. 
He would write out a tolerably full and connect- 
ed account of what he had read — and this formed 
for him quite a good exercise in composition — 
and after August had looked it over and corrected 
the mistakes, if there were any, he would lay it 
aside till his writing half-hour came the next 
day, and then make a fair copy of it in a blank 
book which August had provided, and which 
had for its title, “ The Book of Useful Know- 


FRYING MAPLE SUGAR CAKES. 293 
ledge.” He would also often spend this fourth 
half-hour in writing something of his own — that 
is something original — and then in the writing 
half-hour copy what he had written, after it had 
been corrected, into his book. 

One day in February a great snow storm be- 
gan early in the morning. When school time 
came the ground and the old drifts were every- 
where covered with the new snow, and the air 
was filled with the falling flakes which the wind 
was driving furiously through the air down the 
valley. Elvie went down with August to the 
Academy that day, and Fan was so anxious to 
go to school, too, that her grandmamma con- 
sented, on condition that Elvie would go down 
for her when the time came for the school to be 
done. 

This Elvie was, of course, very ready to do. He 

found it somewhat difficult, however, for the drifts 

in the road had increased so much by that time 
25 * 


294 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

that the snow in many places came up to the 

horse’s knees. 

The storm increased all that day, and August 
would have found it very difficult to get home 
if a farmer coming up the valley from the village 
had not given him a ride, which the farmer was 
very glad to do, for the sake of the help which 
he knew August would render him in trampling 
down the snow, and thus breaking out a road- 
way for the horse through such drifts as were too 
deep for it to go through without help, for though 
horse is much stronger than a man, he has not 
so much patience and steadiness of purpose in 
contending with new and unexpected difficulties, 
and the driver himself will often make a way 
through a drift of snow so deep and compact 
that the horse, were he to attempt it, would give 
up at once in despair. 

But to return to the story. The next morn- 
ing the snow had become so deep as to make 


FRYING MAPLE SUGAR CAKES. 205 
the roads entirely impassable to all ordinary 
vehicles, so that no one could go either up or 
down until they were broken out. This breaking 
out of the roads after such a storm — as probably 
most of the readers of this book are aware — 
is usually performed in New England by the 
farmers turning out with all their ox teams and a 
very heavy sled, and going back and forth 
through the road so as to break the way suffi- 
ciently to allow a horse and sleigh to follow. 
When August rose on the morning after this 
storm he thought at first that it would not be 
possible for him to get to school ; but fortunate- 
ly, just as the time arrived when he usually set 
out, he saw the breaking-out team coming down 
the valley. It was a team consisting of ten 
pairs of oxen following each other in a long 
train, and drawing after them a heavy sled loaded 
with men and boys, most of whom were provided 
with shovels to use in digging a way through 


296 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

such drifts as were too deep for the oxen to 
manage without help. So August seized his 
books, and wallowing out into the road, mounted 
upon the sled. He found two or three other 
Academy scholars there before him. These 
others lived farther up the valley, and had avail- 
ed themselves of this mode of getting to school. 

Elvie played with Fan a little while after this, 
until the usual time arrived for him to commence 
his studies, and then went to his room. He 
opened his stove doors and replenished his fire, 
and then commenced his work. Fan remained 
below stairs during this time, helping her grand- 
mamma about her household work. When Elvie 
went down in his second half-hour to read a 
story to grandmother, Fan went in to hear it too, 
and when the story was completed, and Elvie 
was going back to his room to his work, Fan 
wanted to go with him. So as Elvie went up the 
stairs that led to his room, she began to follow. 


FRYING MAPLE SUGAR CAKES. 297 

“ But, Fan,” said he, “ I am afraid to have you 
come now, for if you speak to me you will inter- 
rupt me. I am going to be very busy.” 

“What are you going to do ?” asked Fan. 

“ I am going to write my autobiography,” said 
Elvie. 

“What’s that ?” asked Fan. 

It is not at all surprising that Fan did not 
understand the meaning of so hard a word as 
autobiography. The reader will, however, per- 
haps recollect that the book which Elvie’s father 
had selected for useful reading was the Auto- 
biography of Benjamin Franklin, that is to say 
the life of Benjamin Franklin, written by him- 
self — the word autobiography meaning one’s 
life written by oneself. Franklin began life as 
a printer’s boy in Boston, and as he begins his 
autobiography with a very interesting account 
of the incidents of his boyhood, and goes on with 
a narration of the various adventures which 


298 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

befell him as he grew up to be a man, and of the 
excellent ways which he adopted in early life 
that led to the great success and to the distin- 
guished honors that he afterwards attained, the 
book is a very entertaining one to all young 
people, as well as a very useful one for them to 
read for the purpose of Instruction. The fact 
that it possessed this double character, that is of 
its being both entertaining and instructive, was 
the reason, I suppose, why Elvie’s father selected 
it, and I think he made an excellent choice. 

Elvie became very much interested in the 
book as he went on with it, in the course of the 
winter — so much so that he would have liked very 
well to have gone on with the reading of it out 
of his school hours. But this was against the 
rule. He was to reserve it strictly as a book to 
be studied , — that is to be read slowly and 
attentively, and with the making of notes and 
memoranda of the important points brought to 


FRYING MAPLE SUGAR CAKES. 2Q9 
view in each reading, so that he might be 
afterwards examined by means of them upon 
each lesson. 

One day, not long before the storm already 
mentioned, August finding that Elvie was much 
interested in Franklin’s autobiography, told him 
that he thought it would be a good plan for 
him to write his own autobiography. “ Oh, 
August ! ” he exclaimed with surprise. “ I should 
not know how to do it. I should not know how 
to begin.” 

“ I’ll tell you how to begin,” said August. 
“ Ge£ your paper and pen ready and you can 
begin now. When you have once begun the 
trouble will be over, — as it is generally with 
compositions of any kind.” ^ 

So Elvie took out a sheet of paper and a pen 
and then said — 

“ Ready ! ” 

“ What is the first thing that you can re- 
member?” asked August. 


300 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

“The first thing that I can remember,” re- 
peated Elvie, assuming at the same time a 
musing attitude and air, “ I believe the first 
thing is my chasing a butterfly one day when I 
was taking a walk with my mother by the 
river.” 

“Well,” said August, “write that.” 

So Elvie began to write. 

After he had had time to write two or three 
words, August asked him how far he had got. 

“The first thing that I can remember,” said 
Elvie reading from his paper. “Very well,” 
said August, “ stop there. You have made your 
beginning. Now put your paper away and when 
the right time comes to-morrow go on and finish 
the account of all that you can remember about 
the butterfly, and by that time you will think of 
something else to write.” 

It was in anticipation of this duty that Elvie 
preferred to go to his room alone, after he had 


FRYING MAPLE SUGAR CAKES. 301 
finished reading the story to Fan and to her 
grandmother. 

But Fan was very desirous of going with him. 

“ I won’t speak to you at all,” said she, “ while 
you are writing your — your- — thing. 

“ And besides,” she added, as she walked 
along up the stairs behind Elvie, trying hard to 
keep up with him, “ if you will let me stay with 
you I will fry you a maple sugar cake.” 

“A what?” asked Elvie. He was as much 
puzzled to imagine what a fried maple sugar 
cake could be, as Fan had been by the word 
autobiography. 

“ A maple sugar cake,” repeated Fan. 

“ What is a maple sugar cake ? ” asked Elvie. 

“ It is something very nice, very nice indeed ! ” 
said Fan. 

By this time the two children had arrived at 

the door of Elvie’s room, and they both entered. 

Elvie went to his seat at the table, took out his 
26 


302 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

writing materials, and the sheet of paper on 
which he had written the first few words of his 
autobiography, and also placed the sand-glass 
before him on its side. Fan went and stood by 
the stove. 

“ Now, Fan,” said Elvie, “when I am ready to 
begin to write, I shall turn up the sand-glass, 
nd set the sand to running. After that you 
must not speak to me unless it is something 
very necessary, and then before you begin to 
speak you must come and turn down the sand- 
glass upon its side, so as to stop the sand. You 
see I must not talk at all, or do anything else 
but attend to my studies while the sand is 
running.” 

So Elvie turned up the glass and began his 
work. In a few minutes Fan came and stood 
for a moment at his side, looking anxiously at 
the sand-glass. Elvie perceived that she wished 
to speak to him but hardly dared to take the 
liberty of touching the glass. 


FRYING MAPLE SUGAR CAKES. 303 

So he turned down the glass himself and said : 
“ Well, Fan, did you have something very 
necessary to say to me ?” 

“ Only,” replied Fan, “ that I am going down 
now to get ready to fry the cakes.” 

“ All right,” said Elvie. And so saying, he 
turned the sand-glass again, and resumed his 
writing, while Fan went away out of the room. 

The room was very quiet now for about five or 
ten minutes, and Elvie went on with his writing 
without any interruption. At the end of that 
time, however, a thumping noise was heard in 
the entry, which gradually drew nearer and 
nearer to the door, until at length Fan’s voice 
was heard calling out, “ Open the door ! Open 
the door !” 

Elvie turned down his sand-glass, and went to 
the door. He found Fan there, with a small 
table, which she was lugging along with great 
difficulty. It was a table which had been formed 


304 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

of a light stand, by sawing off the legs so as to 

make it of the right height for Fan and her doll. 

“ Why, Fan !” exclaimed Elvie, “ what are you 
doing?” 

“ This is the table,” said Fan. “We must 
have a table to eat our cakes upon when they are 
fried.” 

But Elvie, after a moment’s reflection, pro- 
posed to Fan that she should set her table, and 
fry her cakes down by the kitchen fire, which he 
said would be much more convenient. 

“ And then,” said he, “ when everything is 
ready you shall come and call me, and I will 
come down. That’s the way the farmers’ wives 
do. They stay at home and get the supper 
ready, while the men stay out in the fields at 
their work, and come home when the supper is 
ready. They blow the horn to let them know 
the supper is ready. Stop a minute. I’ll get 
you a horn.” 


FRYING MAPLE SUGAR CAKES. 305 
So Elvie brought out from among his play- 
things a little trumpet, which he said Fan might 
have for a horn — to blow at the foot of the stairs 
when the supper was ready. 

The idea of blowing the horn when supper 
was ready seemed to reconcile Fan to the plan 
of going back to the kitchen, and Elvie carried 
the table down for her and left her to her work. 

The maple sugar cakes which Fan referred to 
were those small round flat cakes into which 
maple sugar is often formed, and which are sold 
in large towns for one or two cents a piece, and 
what she called “ frying them ” consisted in 
moistening them with water by pouring about a 
tablespoonful of water over each one, after they 
had been put into her little frying pan, one at a 
time, and then frying them over or near the fire 
until they were heated or softened through so 
that they could easily be cut with a knife. They 

could then be cut in thin slices, which could be 
26 * 


30 6 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

laid smoothly over pieces of bread and butter, 
forming a condiment which all children thought, 
when they tasted it, was very nice indeed. Pre- 
paring the maple sugar in this way she called 
“ frying a maple sugar cake.” 

It took Fan so long to make all her prepara- 
tions, and she stopped so often to play, and to 
go and talk with her grandmother about what 
she was doing, that a great deal of time passed 
before her supper, as she called it, was ready. 
Indeed, it was eleven o’clock, and Elvie had 
reached the end of his study hours, before he 
heard the horn at the foot of the stairs summon- 
ing him to go down. 

When he entered the kitchen he found Fan’s 
little table set in the corner by the side of the 
fire, and everything ready. There was a pitcher 

v 

of milk and some tumblers, and also a plate with 
four small slices of freshly-baked bread, nicely 
spread with butter, upon the table. In another 


FRYING MAPLE SUGAR CAKES. 30 7 

smaller plate were two of the fried maple sugar 
cakes, both soft and hot, and of such consistency 
as to be very easily cut into thin slices to be 
spread upon the bread and butter. 

Elvie and Fan sat down upon two little stools, 
one on each side of the table, and ate their 
luncheon together in a very merry manner. Elvie 
thought the fried cakes were excellent, and he 
enjoyed the repast all the more from his having 
had the patience and perseverence to go on and 
finish his studies within the time appointed, in- 
stead of coming down before he had finished 
them — as he had been somewhat tempted to do 
— to see how Fan was going to work to fry her 
maple sugar cakes. 




CHAPTER XX. 

F an' s Composition . 

RESIDES his Book of Useful Knowledge, 
Elvie had another book in which he used 
to write in his writing half-hour, which he called 
his Magazine. The title in full was “ The En- 
tertaining Magazine,” and this title August 
wrote for him in a full round hand upon the title 
page. In this book Elvie used to copy anecdotes, 
riddles, puzzles, short stories, and such compo- 
sitions of his own as were of an amusing or en- 
tertaining character. Those which consisted of 
articles of any kind conveying valuable informa- 
tion he put in his Book of Useful Knowledge. 

August often gave Elvie a picture as a subject 

(308J 


fan’s composition. 


309 

for a composition, and Elvie found that with the 
picture, as with any other kind of subject, the 
difficulty was almost always wholly at an end as 
soon as he began to write ; for if he wrote one 
single sentence — or even a very few words — so 
as to make a beginning, what he thus wrote 
would always bring more to his mind. So that 
when a picture or any other subject was assigned 
him, he always found that if he only had the 
resolution to take out his paper and his pen and 
write down the first thought that the picture or 
the subject suggested, the work afterwards was 
all easy. 

One day, for example, August gave him the 
picture shewn in the adjoining engraving as a 
subject. 

Fan, seeing the picture lying upon Elvie’s 
table, asked him to give it to her. But he said 
he could not give it to her, for it was the subject 
of his composition. He was going to write a 
composition upon it, he said. 


3io 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


“ But you will spoil the picture,” said Fan, “ if 
you write on it.” 

“ I mean about it,” said Elvie. 

“ How do you do it ?” asked Fan. 

“Why we look at the picture,” replied Elvie, 
“ and then write what we think about it. You 
could write a composition if you had a mind to.” 

“ Oh no !” said Fan. 

“ I mean all but the writing part,” said Elvie. 
“ You could look at the picture and tell me what 
you think : and then I could write it for you, — 
and afterward copy it into my magazine.” 

Fan had often heard Elvie read to her amus- 
ing stories from his magazine, and the idea of 
having something of hers put into the book 
seemed very attractive to her. So it was agreed 
that when the proper half-hour came in the 
course of Elvie’s studies, Fan should come to his 
room and dictate to him whatever the view of 
the picture suggested to her mind ; and that he 











FAN’S COMPOSITION. 311 

should write it down and afterwards correct it, 
and then make a fair copy of it in the magazine. 

So Fan came — but it took her much longer 
than one would have expected to accomplish the 
work. For Fan stopped so frequently to talk, — 
making it necessary for Elvie to turn down his 
glass upon one side, until she was ready to go 
on again — that a good deal more than the usual 
time was required for the sand to run out. At 
length, however, Fan had dictated sentences 
enough to make as long a composition as Elvie 
thought best, and then she went down stairs, 
■caving Elvie to correct it, and to make a fair 
copy of it in his book. When thus completed, 
the composition was as follows : 

FAN’S COMPOSITION. 

“ This boy is up in a tree. I think he climbed 
tip. He has got his hand 4nto a deep hole. I 
should not dare to put my hand into such a deep 
hole, for fear there might be a bear in there to 


312 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

bite me. Or if the hole is not big enough for a 

bear, then a snake, or a toad, or something. 

“ I don’t see how the boy is going to get down 
again. He has tored the knees of his trowsers — 
or at least one of them — in climbing up. I 
wonder what his mother will say.” 

In correcting this composition before copying 
it into the Magazine, Elvie was for some minutes 
at a loss whether he ought to correct the word 
“tored” used by Fan instead of torn , which was 
the form of the word which she ought to have 
employed. He finally concluded that as it was 
the composition of a child, and was so stated in 
the book, it would be better to write it just as she 
dictated it, and so he let the incorrect word stand. 

When Fan afterward saw her composition in 
the book, with the picture at the head of it, and 
heard Elvie read it to her, she was very much 
pleased, and said she wished he would let her 
write a composition every day. 


fan’s composition. 313 

Elvie went on during the succeeding weeks of 
the winter studying regularly his two hours 
every day, or rather practicing — for his work 
consisted principally not in learning to do new 
things, but only in acquiring, by practice, the 
power of doing with facility — that is readily and 
easily — what he already knew how to do. In 
this way he acquired a considerable degree of 
skill in writing, and formed a very good hand ; 
for the principal thing that is necessary for the 
formation of a good hand is to write a good 
deal without ever writing so fast as to hurry at 
all the formation of any of the letters. 

He also made great improvement in the 
readiness and certainty with which he could add 
numbers, and almost entirely cured himself of 
the extremely bad habit of counting, a habit 
which has greater influence than almost anything 
else in impeding the progress of the pupil in all 

subsequent operations in Arithmetic. 

27 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


3H 

There were many great snowstorms in Granville 
Valley in the course of the months of February 
and March, and the breaking out teams had to 
come down the valley many times. On such 
days Fan could not go to school, and whenever 
she was kept at home, from this or any other 
cause, she spent half of Elvie’s study hours — 
that is two of his half-hours — with him. The 
first was the time of his reading — for she always 
liked to hear the story which he read, especially 
as he usually read it in her grandmother’s room 
where she could sit in her little chair, and, with 
her grandmother, form the audience. 

It was a great advantage to Elvie to have 
somebody listening to him when he was reading 
for practice in this way, as it kept him all the 
time interested in reading in a very plain and 
distinct voice, and in so modulating the tones in 
which he read as to convey to his hearers the 
full force and meaning of the story. If any of 


FAN’S COMPOSITION. 


315 


the boys and girls who read this book desire to 
learn to read well, I advise them to find some- 
body to read aloud to, as often as they can. So 
great indeed is the influence of the thought that 
some one is listening to you when we are 
reading — or rather the idea that you are reading 
to somebody whom you wish to make understand 
the story, instead of merely reading to yourself — 
that when you have no real auditor it will affect 
very considerably your mode of reading, and 
conduce to your improvement if you imagine one. 
In other words when you read alone it is a good 
plan to read aloud, and to imagine that there is 
a person in the room who is listening to you, 
and to try to read in such a manner as to 
convey to the mind of this fancied listener the 
full force and beauty of the story. 


\ 




CHAPTER XXI. 

Two Silly Fellows . 

"pHE snow from all the different storms which 
fell during the months of January, February, 
and the early part of March, covered the ground 
at last to the depth of four or five feet “ in the 
woods.” The farmers, when speaking of the 
depth of the snow, generally refer to it as it lies 
in the woods, for there it lies level. In roads 
and fields, and in all the open ground where the 
wind has free play, it becomes much drifted, 
and it is not easy to ascertain the average depth. 
But in the woods, where the ground is sheltered 
by the trees, the snow falls evenly upon it, and 
the depth there is consequently a just criterion 
of the quantity which has fallen. 


(316) 


TWO SILLY FELLOWS. 317 

As the spring advances, and the sun rises 
higher and higher in the heavens, and the days 
grow longer, the snow is softened, and settling 
together becomes consolidated, and then during 
the cold nights it freezes and becomes very hard, 
so that persons can walk upon it everywhere, — 
over brooks, ponds, swamp's, fences, and all the 
other obstructions which impede the way in ex- 
cursions over the country in the summer. But 
then such walks must be taken early in the 
morning, for after the sun comes up the snow 
that had become hardened in the night is 
warmed and softened again, and then any body 
attempting to walk upon it — even small children 
— sink into it. 

One Saturday morning when there was no 

school either for August or Fan, Elvie rose early 

and, finding that the snow was hard enough to 

bear him all around the house, proposed to 

August that they should go off on an expedi- 
27 * 


3 1 5 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

tion immediately after breakfast. August readily 
agreed to this proposal, and then the two boys 
concluded to fit up the hand-sled so as to make 
it a comfortable conveyance for Fan, and take 
her with them. 

“We can draw her on the sled,” said Elvie, 

“ while we walk along on the snow.” 

“ But I shall want to run along upon the snow 
too,” said Fan. 

“ Very well,” said Elvie, “you shall run along 
upon the snow as long as you like, and when 
you get tired you shall ride on the sled.” 

So August and Elvie placed a back board 
upon the sled, against the stakes at the end, for 
Fan to lean against, and putting a small stool 
before it, they covered the stool and the back 
and the floor of the sled with a buffalo robe, so 
as to make a very convenient and comfortable 
seat. They made everything ready in this way 
before breakfast — which was at this time before 


TWO SILLY FELLOWS. 319 

seven o’clock — so that they might set out im- 
mediately after breakfast, for they knew very 
well that as the snow would begin to thaw and 
soften by nine or ten they must set out early, so 
as to get back in season. For it is a fearful 
thing to get caught in such cases far away from 
home when the snow has begun to soften so that 
you sink down deep into it at every step. 

When all was ready they set out, and as there 
were no fences or wet places or ploughed ground, 
or fields of growing grain, or obstacles of any 
other kind in their way — everything being cov- 
ered up deep with snow — they could choose 
their course and go straight over ground which 
would have been utterly impracticable for them 
in the summer. August and Elvie generally 
walked straight along, but Fan ran to and fro, 
on this side and on that, wherever she found 
anything to attract her attention. She was very 
much interested in observing that every little 


320 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

sprig or leaf which she saw on the snow lay at 
the bottom of a deep depression in it, and won- 
dered how each one found a hole to lie in just 
big enough for it. The truth was that these 
various objects made the holes for themselves, 
or rather helped the sun to make them. For 
anything dark lying upon the snow, by absorb- 
ing the rays that fall upon them, and so becom- 
ing warmed, and melting the snow beneath them, 
gradually form a cavity for them to sink into ; 
while the rays which fall upon the snow in other 
places are mostly reflected from the bright sur- 
faces of the minute icy needles, as light and heat 
are from glass, thus causing the general surface 
of the snow to melt very slowly. 

At one time Fan found a bird’s nest in what 
seemed to be a little evergreen bush not higher 
than her knee. She was very much surprised, 
she said, to find a bird’s nest on such a little tree ; 
but the truth was that what she thought was a 


TWO SILLY FELLOWS. 3-21 

bush was really the top of a pretty tall tree, 
higher than a man’s head, though all the lower 
part of it was covered by the snow, which was 
here considerably drifted. 

They went on in this way until they came to 
a dell where there was a rapid stream, which in 
summer was seen in some places tumbling over 
rocks, and in others rippling along shallow chan- 
nels, forming what was called the Cascade. 
There was a little pathway in summer which led 
along the banks of the stream, crossing it here 
and there by means of large flat-topped stones 
which served the purpose of stepping stones ; 
but now the banks, the stepping stones, and the 
stream itself — all, except at certain places where 
there were little falls of water a foot or two in 
height, in which cases the flow was so rapid that 
the water could not entirely freeze — were all 
covered and hidden by the ice and snow. And 
even these falls were usually bordered, and half 


322 GRANVILLE VALLEV 

enclosed by masses of icicles of the most brilliant 

and varied forms. 

After rambling about the cascade, or rather 
the place where the cascade was in summer, 
though seeing nothing of it now except here and 
there a mass of icicles behind which the water 
was gurgling, or a deep depression in the snow, at 
the bottom of which they could see the water 
rippling along over the sand, the party at length 
set out on their return. 

“ Now,” said Fan, “I should like to ride. I’m 
tired of walking.” 

So August and Elvie, after arranging the seat, 
placed Fan upon it, and then, after wrapping the 
end of the buffalo robe well around her shoulders 
and her feet, and tucking it in securely, August 
and Elvie took hold of the cross-piece at the end 
of the tongue, one on each side, and set out on 
the return journey. 

“ And now,” said Elvie to August, “ as we are 
going back tell me a story ” 


TWO SILLY FELLOWS. 323 

“ Very well,’.’ replied August, “ I’ll tell you a 
story of two silly fellows.” 

“Good!” said Elvie, “that’s just what I 
should like to hear.” 

Elvie, like most of other children, was always 
glad to hear about the silly doings of other peo- 
ple, though he was sometimes a little sensitive 
about having his own follies much exposed. 

So August began as follows : 

“ THE STORY OF TWO SILLY FELLOWS. 

“ The first silly fellow,” said August, beginning 
his story, “ was silly enough, but he was not 
quite so silly as the second. The name of the 
first one was Joe Dodge.” 

“ Was he a man or a boy ?” asked Elvie. 

“ He was a man,” said August, “though not 
a very old one. He thought he was very cunning 
and sly, and used to say it would take a very 
smart man to get the better of him. One day 
he went to the bank to borrow some money. 


324 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

The bank directors decided that it was not best 
to lend him any, because he did not keep his 
promises well about paying. He went away in a 
great rage, and determined that he would do the 
bank all the damage that he could by burning 
all the bills of theirs that he could get hold of. 

“ So he looked over his money and every bill of 
that kind that he found he took out, and tore 
them in pieces and stamped upon them, and 
then threw the pieces into the fire.” 

“ What ! his own money ?” exclaimed Elvie. 
Elvie knew enough about banking to be aware 
that a bank bill is nothing more than a promise 
to pay , on the part of the president and directors ; 
and that destroying their bills was only releasing 
them from their promise. 

“ Why, what a fool !” said Elvie. 

“ And every time that anybody had any 
money to pay him,” continued August, “ he 
would try to get them to give him bills of that 


TWO SILLY FELLOWS. 325 

bank, so that he could destroy them. 1 It was 
to spite the bank,’ he said. The bills were the 
only things of theirs that he could get hold of.” 

“What a fool !” exclaimed Elvie again. 

“ Yes,” said August, “ but the other one I am 
going to tell you of is a bigger fool than he was.” 

“ I can’t imagine how anybody could be a 
bigger fool,” said Elvie. 

“ You’ll see,” said August. “ But I don’t mean 
bigger in size, for the second fool is a boy at the 
Academy. I mean greater in folly.” 

“ He is a boy,” continued August, “ who is 
in the assistant’s department. The assistant’s 
name is Miss Sanford. 

“ And what is the boy’s name ?” asked Elvie. 

“ His name is Shurke,” said August. “ William 

Shurke. They commonly call him Bill Shurke. 

Now his father, who knew that people who were 

educated could get their living more easily, and 

also get a better living, than people who were 
28 


326 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

not — for they could be clerks, or merchants, or 
teachers, or agents, whereas without any educa- 
tion they could only labour with their hands in 
sawing wood or digging ground, or doing other 
such things that did not require any knowledge 
— took a great deal of pains to earn money 
enough to send his boy to the Academy in order 
that he might be taught. But Bill did all he 
could to avoid being taught. When Miss 
Sanford gave out ‘ sums ’ to do, in his class, 
and explained to the boys how to do them, he 
would not pay any attention, but when the one 
who sat next to him was doing his sums he 
would look over him, and copy the figures on his 
own slate, and then carry them in as his own 
work. At last Miss Sanford found this out, for 
whenever she asked him any questions in regard 
to his work he could not tell anything about it, 
but soon became embarrassed and confused. 
So when she found out how it was, she told him 


TWO SILLY FELLOWS. 3 27 

that he ought not to do so. He ought to try to 
understand the explanation, she said, so as to 
do the work himself. 

“ This made Bill Shurke angry, and he deter- 
mined to do something to spite the teacher, he 
said. So one day after school was done, he tore 
out the leaves from some old writing books, and 
crumpled them up, and wrapped them in an 
old newspaper, so as to make an oblong sort of 
a wad. Then he got another boy to help him, 
and they climbed in at the window, and pulled 
forward the stove, and stuffed the wad of paper 
into the throat of the chimney, so that the flue 
could not draw. Then they put the stove back 
again in its place, and Bill and the other boy 
got out of the window the same way that they 
got in. 

“ So the next morning, when the man began to 
make the fire, he found that the smoke all came 
out into the room. He thought it was because 


328 GRANVILLE VALLEY. . 

the fire was not hot enough, and so he put in 
more wood. But this only made the matter 
worse ; and at last, after they had had a great 
deal of trouble, and could not find out what the 
matter was, they had to dismiss the school and 
send for a mason to take out the stove. When 
the boys went out, Bill Shurke was seen capering 
about, and boasting that he had paid off Miss 
Sanford well. * She can’t have any school 
to-day,’ said he. * She can’t have any school ! ’ 

“Miss Sanford had a good deal to do for 
herself that day — letters to write, and sewing — 
and though she was sorry to have the boys lose 
one day’s progress in acquiring knowledge, yet 
so far as she herself was concerned, it was a great 
convenience to her to be released from school. 
All that Bill Shurke accomplished by his trick 
was to make it harder for him to get a good 
living when he became a man.” 

August paused after finishing his story, leav- 


TWO SILLY FELLOWS. 329 

in g Elvie to think about it. In a few minutes 
Elvie said, 

“ I think he was something of a fool, but I 
don’t think he was so big a fool as the man 
who burnt up that money.” 

“ Why yes,” said August, “ for the man only 
lost the money for the time being, and that was 
the end of it. But Bill, in trying to spite the 
leacher, while he really did not do her any 
harm, was injuring himself for all his days, — or 
at least doing all he could to injure himself and 
the other boys.” 

“And then besides if he got found out he 
would be punished,” said Elvie. 

“ He was found out,” replied August, “ but he 
was not punished.” 

“At least Miss Sanford turned him out of 
school,” said Elvie. 

“ No,” replied August. “ I heard she said 

that the difficulty with him was that he did not 
28 * 


330 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

understand what he was doing. He might be a 
great dunce for not knowing that he was only- 
injuring himself and the other boys by hinder- 
ing their progress in study, but she should as 
soon think of sending a man away from a hos- 
pital because he was very sick, as turning a boy 
out of school because he was a great dunce. 
Those are the boys, she said, that are most in 
need of instruction, and she should now pay 
special attention to Bill Shurke, and take a great 
deal of pains to teach him, so that in time he 
might get more sense.” 

Just as August arrived at this point in the 
conversation, the party came to a place where 
the ground, and of course the snow upon it, 
sloped toward the south, not far from the road, 
and suddenly August’s right foot went down 
through the upper surface, which had been soft- 
ened by the sun, and he sank up to his thigh. 
He drew his leg out again, and walked along by 


TWO SILLY FELLOWS. 33 1 

himself, stepping very carefully till he reached 
the road, leaving Elvie .to follow and to draw 
the sled alone, which he could easily do. For- 
tunately they were not now far from home, and 
for the rest of the way they went by the road. 




CHAPTER XXII. ' 

Conclusion. 

r J" , HE closing weeks of the winter passed 
away very pleasantly for Elvie in Granville 
Valley, and when the month of March opened, 
and the days began to grow longer and the sun 
rose higher in the heavens, the signs of approach- 
ing spring began to appear — while yet the ground 
was covered deep with snow. Two or three 
times also in the course of the month great 
snow storms arose which brought fresh supplies 
of this wintry covering, and made Elvie think 
that the time for ploughing the land and making 
the gardens in such a climate would never come. 

( 332 ) 


CONCLUSION. 333 

Once or twice, however, there came what the 
people called a thaw, — that is a period of two 
or three days of very mild weather, in the course 
of which there was usually, for one or more days, 
a warm rain. At such times the brooks and 
streams would rise and overflow the snow under 
which they had been buried, and sometimes 
would float away great patches of it, and all the 
hollows and depressions in the fields would be 
filled with little pools of water, which, when the 
cold came on again, would form patches of ice 
where Elvie and Fan could find sliding places 
innumerable. And as the snow in all the other 
places, where the water from the thaw did not 
collect and stand, had been first softened by the 
rain and then hardened by the frost, until it had 
become everywhere firm and consolidated, the 
children could run about upon it, and draw their 
sleds irom one pond to another with perfect 
facility. 


334 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


One of these thaws extended through the first 
part of a certain week, and it rained incessantly 
until Wednesday. On Wednesday night it 
cleared up, and on Thursday it became very 
cold. The wind blew a gale through the whole 
of Thursday, but at night the wind “ went down 
with the sun,” and the thermometer went down 
too, for August found on Friday morning that 
the mercury was below zero. 

“Ah!” said he, as he looked at the scale. 
“ We shall have some skating to-morrow.” 

There was a moderate wind throughout the 
day, on Friday, but on Saturday morning it was 
calm and pleasant, and after breakfast August 
and Elvie took their skates, and after fitting up 
the sled for Fan, put her upon it, and set off to 
go down the wood road to the mill pond, to see 
what the state of the ice was there. To their 
great joy they found that the whole pond was 
one sheet of ice from shore to shore, and that 


CONCLUSION. 335 

there were a great many boys upon it, skating. 
The boys had moreover built a fire, and were 
heaping more wood upon it when August and 
Elvie came in sight. They obtained the wood 
by gathering fragments of dead trees, and old 
dry branches from the shore. 

The new comers went down upon the ice and 
spent some hours upon it very agreeably in 
skating and drawing Fan upon the sled. The 
fire made it very cheerful and pleasant for them. 
Not that it was cold, or that there was any need 
of the fire for the sake of its warmth, but it was 
very pleasant, after taking a grand sweep along 
the shores of the pond, or exploring some wooded 
dell, where an indentation of the shore, or a 
branch stream came in, forming a little harbor, 
to come back to the fire and to stop and rest 
there a few minutes, and make believe warm 
themselves, while looking on to see the other boys 
come in, bringing fresh masses of wood for fuel. 


336 • GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

When the time arrived for going home to 
dinner, August and Elvie took off their skates 
and proceeded up the road toward the house’ 
drawing Fan after them on the sled. On the 
way they fell into conversation about their future 
plans. August said that his term at the 
Academy came to an end about the middle 
of April, and that then there would be a vacation 
of three weeks. Elvie said that that would be a 
good time for them to go home. 

“Then,” said he, “we should get back about 
the first of May — just about the time that the 
people here will begin to make their gardens.” 

“ Do you suppose your father intends to send 
you here next summer too ?” asked August. 

“ I hope he does,” said Elvie. “ For I want to 
see how it is here in summer, when the fields are 
green, and the roads are dry, and the brooks 
are running, and the gardens are in bloom. 
Wouldn’t you like to come back again ?” 


CONCLUSION. 


33 / 


“Yes,” said August, “very much” 

“ Then I wish you would write a letter to my 
father,” said Elvie, “ and ask him to let us come 
back” 

August did not reply to this proposition, but 
shook his head slowly and thoughtfully. 

“ Why not ? ” asked Elvie. 

“ Yoilr father will want to see first how much 
you have improved,” said August. 

“ He thinks I have improved very much in 
my writing,” said Elvie, “ for he said so in his 
last letter. And I know that I have improved 
very much in my adding. I don’t have to count 
at all now. I think too he will like my Book of 
Useful Knowledge, and my Magazine.” 

“ We shall see,” said August. “ And all is 
that if he should decide to have you come back 
here in May, soAhat I can have another term at 
the Academy, I shall be very glad indeed.” 

That very night Elvie wrote a letter to his 
29 


338 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

father, saying that there was to be a vacation in 
the Academy for three weeks, beginning in the 
middle of April, and proposing that he and 
August should go home then and spend the 
vacation, and so come back again about the end 
of the first week in May. 

When Elvie had finished his letter that even- 
ing he looked out of the window, and to his sur- 
prise found that the sky was overcast, and that 
the wind was rising. In the night he heard a 
clicking against the windows, and on the follow- 
ing morning he found that a heavy snow 
was falling. In two days the ground was every- 
where covered with snow again to the depth of 
more than a foot, and the roads were consider- 
ably obstructed by it. In the course of another 
fortnight, however, this new snow had been 
repeatedly softened by day and frozen again at 
night, until it became so combined and con- 
solidated with the old snow that there was 


CONCLUSION. 339 

scarcely any line of demarcation between them, 
and in the morning Elvie and Fan could run 
about over the surface of it everywhere, as they 
had done before. 

There came afterward a succession of storms 
and thaws alternating with each other, — falling 
snows one day, melting suns the next, and 
driving or gentle rains on those following. It 
was in fact a protracted warfare between winter 
and spring. But spring was securing continual 
reinforcements in the combat from the increas- 
ing power of the sun as it rose higher and higher 
every day. At length patches of bare ground 
began to appear here and there, and they in- 
creased in numbers and magnitude every week. 
The road became bare in many places, especially 
upon all the southern slopes of it, until at length 
Elvie had a striking proof of the approaching 
victory of spring in the appearance of a vehicle 
on wheels going by, instead of the runners which 


340 GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

had held exclusive possession of the way for so 

long a time. 

In a day or two Elvie received from his father 
an answer to the letter which he had written to 
him in regard to coming back in May, for a 
summer term in the country. It contained, 
however, no definite and positive reply to his 
request. The letter gave directions, however’ 
that Elvie should inquire whether Deacon and 
Mrs. Justin could receive them for three months 
more, from about the first of May, in case he 
should wish to have them come, but in the mean 
time requested that the account should be paid 
in full for all Deacon Justin’s charges up to the 
time of their leaving, and everything settled 
except in respect to the disposition of the 
furniture, which he would leave, he said, until he 
decided what to do about the return of the 
boys. 

Mr. Grant expressed also the wish in his 


CONCLUSION. 341 

letter that Deacon Justin would include in his 

list, not only what had been distinctly agreed 

upon beforehand, but also a full and satisfactory 

charge for all the extra trouble or expense that 

he had been put to in any way, during the 

residence of the boys in his family. He enclosed 

also a large check, drawn to August’s order, for 

the payment of the bill. t 

When people are considerate and reasonable, 

difficulties are not very likely to occur between 

them, and August and Elvie met with very few 

in their intercourse with each other, during their 

residence in Granville Yalley. There was one 

case in which for a time August was quite at a 

loss what to do, and with a brief account of this 

case this volume will be brought to a close. 

One day, after Elvie had finished his studies, 

and August was still at the Academy, Elvie, in 

rambling about among the neighbors to see 

some boys with whom he had formed acquaint- 
29 * 


342 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

ance, became extremely interested and excited 
at the sight of a “ tame fox at least the owner 
so designated him, though he did not seem after 
all very tame, for he had an iron collar round 
his neck and was also kept chained. The boy, 
who was beginning to be a little tired of him, 
offered to sell him to Elvie for what Elvie 
considered a reasonable price, and so Elvie 
bought him with his pocket money, and brought 
him home, and put him in a box in the barn ; 
and then when August came home, the first 
thing was to shew him the fox. August took 
great interest in looking at him, and seemed to 
sympathize to a remarkable extent with Elvie in 
the joy he felt in the possession of such a prize. 
Fan too, when she came to see the fox, was 
greatly excited with an emotion in which fear 
and pleasure were very mysteriously inter- 
mingled. 


CONCLUSION. 343 

But on seriously reflecting upon the subject 
August felt some difficulty in determining what 
to do. For a time no doubt Fan would be too 
much afraid of the fox to run any risk of being 
bitten by him. But in time she might become 
more bold, and if she or Elvie should at any 
time get bitten, serious censequences might 
possibly ensue : for sometimes the bites of wild 
animals, he knew, have a poisoning effect upon 
the human system. Then he thought that Mrs. 
Justin might feel uneasy and anxious for fear 
that Fan might get bitten, and August did not 
know moreover but that the fox might break 
away from his fastening at some time, and kill 
some of the poultry or do other damage. So 
he concluded that this was a case in which, 
according to the arrangement made with Elvie’s 
father, he was to buy back whatever Elvie should 
buy with his pocket money, that was likely to 


344 GRANVILLE VALLEY, 

be dangerous to himself, or dangerous or annoy- 
ing to others. But then according to that 
arrangement .e was to keep himself what he 
should thus buy back, and take it with him to 
New York, and deliver it to Elvie’s father. 

But how was he to keep this fox, and carry it 
with him to New York, and give it to Elvie’s 
father ? The very idea was absurd ! 

After considerable reflection and several con- 
versations with Elvie on the subject — who, much 
to his credit, was willing that August should do 
what he thought best — it was decided that 
August should buy back the fox, refund to Elvie 
what he had paid for it, and then should 
recommit it to the charge of the boy who had 
owned it, to be kept safely by him as the 
property of Mr. Grant of New York, until it 
should be called for. The boy, when this plan 
was proposed to him, was very ready to accede 


CONCLUSION. 345 

to it, for it seemed to him like being allowed to 
have back his fox, and keep the money for 
which he had sold him too. So the fox was 
taken back in a few days to his former quarters, 
and with it August took also the following form 
of receipt which he had prepared for the boy to 
sign : 

“ Received of August Rodman, for safe 

keeping, one fox, said to be tame, with collar and 
* 

chain, to be delivered to the order of Mr. Grant 
of New York, on demand.” 

The boy on receiving the fox signed this 
receipt, and August put it away among his 
papers to be delivered to Mr. Grant on his 
arrival in New York. Mr. Grant on reading 
this receipt among the other documents which 
August and Elvie presented to him on their 
final report to him in New York, read it with a 
perfectly serious face, endorsed and filed it 


346 


GRANVILLE VALLEY. 


regularly with the other papers, and told August 
that he could not possibly have disposed of the 
case in a more business-like and proper manner. 
I believe however that the fox was never 

-4 

called for. 






/ 





DODD & MEAD’S 


LATEST 

Juvenile and Sunday-School Books, 

762 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. 

T HE JUNO STORIES. A Series for Sunday-Schools, 
By Jacob Abbott. To be completed in 4 volumes 
Beautifully illustrated and bound in fancy cloth, new style. 

Per volume |i 25 

1 st. Juno and Georgie. In April. 

2d. Mary Osborn. “ 

3d. Juno on a Journey. In September. 

4th. Hubert. “ 

Mr. Abbott, well known as one of the most successful writers of juvenile books in 
the country, has published nothing intended expressly for Sunday Schools in many 
years. This series, which is written in similar style to the famous Franconia 
Stories, is in the author’s best vein, and will, it is believed, do its part toward 
meeting the urgent demand for a higher class of Sunday-school literature. 

O LIVER WYNDHAM. A Historical Tale. By the 
Author of “ Naomi.” i6mo, fancy cloth, new style. 

1 50 

An excellent and intensely interesting historical story by a well-known author. 
The scene is laid in the eventful period of the Great flague and Fire in London, 
in 1665. A capital book for the older scholars 

T HE OFFICER’S CHILDREN. A Story of the Indian 
Mutiny. By the Wife of an Officer. i8mo, illustrated, 
fancy cloth, new style o 75 

A charming story founded on fact, and written by one who had a personal ex- 
ptrience of th<" scenes described. 

The story, /hile of intense interest, conveys incidentally a correct idea of Life in 
India at the time of the great mutiny. 


Juvenile and Sunday School Books, 


Geoffrey the Lollard. 

By Frances Eastwood. i6mo, 
richly illustrated and bound, $1.50 

“ The interest of the story is well sustained, 
and its moral tone and teaching are all 
that the thoughtful Christian reader could 
reasonably wish for.”— The interior. 

“ Such a hook as this, telling of imprison- 
ment, wounda and t-vcn martyrdom for the 
sake of the truth, will awaken in some 
minds new thoughts of its nature, and of the 
blessings of religious freedom. It will be 
an excellent book for a S. S- library.” — 
Detroit Advertiser and Tribune. 

Nelly’s Daik Day 

By the author of tc Jessi ’s First 
Prayec,” “Alone in London,” 
&c., > 1 Richly illustrated and 
bound, - • - - .75 

“ Nelly’s Dark Days is one of the most 
powerful presentations of the temperance 
argument that could possibly be made. We 
have never read anything more terrible and 
touching. The absolute mastery over body 
and soul which drink acquires in those who 
give way to it, is depicted in all its frightful- 
ness, and with a straightforwardness of lan- 
guage that goes right to the mark. And 
yet when the book comes to be analyzed it 
is a very simple little story, just such a one 
as you might find by thousands any day in 
the Five Points. In this very fact lies its 
power.” — Ntw York Evening Mail. 

Labor Stands on Golden 

Feet. From the German of Hein- 
rich Zschokke. Translated by 
John Y eats, LL. D. Richly illus- 
trated and bound, i6mo, $1.25 

“ It gives the history of a German family 
of workers during three generations, which, 
in fact, is the history of progress during 
over seventy years, and shows how probity 
and labor, hand in hand, exalt not merely 
individuals but also their country.” — Phila- 
delphia Press. 

“ The object of the tale is to put upon 
labor the patent of nobility, and with this 
object all true Americans must sympa- 
thize.” — Christian Advocate. 

“The dignity of labor, the value of econo- 
my, industry, and kindness, are forcibly 
illustrated in a narrative that conveys 
both pleasure and profit.” — Presbyterian 
Banner. 


Marcella of Rome. 

The Fearless Christian Maiden 
Bv Frances Eastwood. i6mo, 
richly illustrated and bound, $1. 50 

This story, as well a* “ Geoffrey,” was 
originally published in Hours at Home t 
and in their serial form received the highest 
praise as stories of unusual merit. 

“ Marcella is a simple story, but told with 
a grace of diction and earnestness and 
pathos that must command attention. P is 
a graceful and touching story .” — Daily 
Evening Journal. 

The Spanish Barber. 

A Tale of the Bible in Spain. By 
the author of “Mary Powell.” 
i6mo, illustrated, - - $1.25 

This beautiful taie will attract unusual 
attention from its subject, as well as the 
reputation of its accomplished author. The 
story turns on the recent Revolution in 
Spain, opening the country to the Bible 
and religious toleration. Modern Spanish 
life is charmingly depicted, and the working 
of the recent changes strikingly illustrated 
in the varying fortunes of the Spanish Bar- 
ber and his family. 

“This little story is a narrative of the 
experience of a corporteur introducing the 
Bible in Spain at a period only a few years 
back. The author gives us no harrowing 
stories of the Inquisition, the rack, and the 
dungeon. The scene is laid principally at 
Gibraltar. It will be read with deep inter- 
est by those who watch the progress of 
Pr .testant Christianity .” — Chicago Com - 
mtrcial. 

Philip Brantley’s Life 

Work, and How He Found It. 
By M. E. M. i6mo, illustrated, 

$i-i5 

A story of the heart — simple, earnest, 
evangelical. It is written in the form of a 
daily diary, and recounts the experiences 
and struggles ot a country boy who passed 
through college, on the way found Christ, 
and after sundry trials, which refined his 
Christian character, became pastor of a 
church in the far West.” — A. S. Journal. 

“ The account of the way Philip Brantley 
was led, and the way in which he at last 
found liis life work and comfort and happi 
ness in it, will be read with interest, and 
will teach the youth who read it profitable 
lessons.” — Evan. Repository. 


Juvenile and Sunday School Books. 


Geneva’s Shield. 

A Story of the Swiss Reformation. 
By Rev. W. M. Blackburn, 
author of “ Ulrich Twingle,” 
“ William Farel,” “College Days 
of Calvin.” i6mo, three illustra- 
tions, - - - - $1.25 

“ The volume before us is in every way 
»n admirable one. It is a vivid and deeply 
interesting picture of the Swiss Reforma- 
tion, and the homely virtues and sterling 
piety and honesty, earnestness and devotion 
of the reformers, as displayed in these 
pages, are calculated to leave a healthy and 
profitable impression on the reader’s mind.” 
— The Standard. 

“ In the shape of a very fascinating story 
the dawn of the Swiss Reformation is here 
portrayed, previous to the advent of Calvin. 
More charming than romance, thk story is 
more satisfying and ennobling. It ought to 
be in all the Sunday School libraries in the 
land.” — S. S. Times. 

“Resting on a solid basis of fact, the 
events of those times are described in an 
attractive narrative.” — Found Table. 

Paul and Margaret, the 

Inebriate’s Children. By H. K. 
P., author of “The Kempt ons,” 
“ The Orphan’s Triumphs,” &c. 
i6mo, three illustrations, $1.00 

“ A most instructive temperance tale. It 
takes the reader into the dreary home of the 
drunkard, and shows him an oppressed wife 
and suffering children. The young man 
Decame a soldier ; was wounded and taken 
to the hospital.^ His sister made a long 
journey, to be in the hospital with her bro- 
ther. Both acted nobly. The inebriate 
father died. Then the mother and her 
children were happily reunited in the com- 
fcrts of home.” — Christian Advocate. 

‘ A temperance story of the very best 
kind. A better book for the Sundav School 
has not visited us this long time/’— S'. S. 
Times. 

Cl iver Wyndham. 

By the author of “ Naomi.” 
i6mo, - - - - $1.50 

An excellent and intensely interesting 
historical, by a well-known author. The 
scene is laid in the eventful period of the 
Great Plague and Fire in London. 


The Orphan’s Triumphs: 

Or, The Story of Lily and Harry 
Grant. By H. K. P., author of 
“ Paul and Margaret,” “ The 
Kempt ons,” &c. i6mo, three 
illustrations, - - - $1.25 

“ All books written for Sabbath School 
libraries have not the same merit as this. 
Lily Grant, the sweet sister of Harry, was 
the daughter of a clergyman, who, dying 
when she was quite small, left her to the 
care of a delicate, yet patient and loving 
mother, whose short life of uncomplaining 
suffering left its impress upon the daughter’s 
mind, and whose blessed teachings followed 
her through life. Taken into a wealthy 
family, she was loved by all except one self- 
willed, imperious little girl, whose hatred 
of her arose from the strong contrast she 
saw existed between herself and the little 
orphan. But the sweet Lily conquers in 
the end, and Belle is won to the love of 
Jesus, and becomes her firm and faithful 
friend. A sweet story, and one we cheer- 
fully recommend to Sabbath Schools and 
families.” — J. C. Monthly Chronicle. 

Oriental and Sacred 

Scenes. From Notes and Travel 
in Greece, Turkey, and Palestine. 
With valuable illustrations, some 
of them beautifully colored. By 
Fisher Howe. A new edition, 
l6mo s - - - - $1.50 

The author's motive was “ the hope of 
usefulness to teachers of Sabbath School 
and Bible Classes;” and it is to them, as 
well as to all desiring a concise, available, 
and interesting account of the Holy Land, 
that this beautiful volume is recommended. 
The new edition is issued at a reduced 
price, to bring it within the reach of Sabbath 
School Libraries, & c. 

“ Mr. Howe’s sketches, by their brevity 
and popular interest, will attract the mass 
of Bible readers more even than the elabo- 
rate researches of Robinson and Smith.”— 
Journal of Commerce. 

The Officer’s Children, 

A Story of the Indian Mutiny. 
i8mo, .75 

A charming story founded on fact, and 
written by one who had a personal exp 
rience of the scene; described. 


Juvenile AM) Sunday School Books. 


5 * ereigns of the b;ble. 

E. R. Steel. With illumina- 


ted title and many illustrations, 
i6mo.. beautifully bound, $i 50 


The scattered faCts in the Lives of the 
Kings of Israel and .Judah are skilfully 
arranged in one cont’nmus narrative, true 
to life as given in the Salted Record, and 
iseful to those who would rain a clear and 1 
continuous view of the Biulc Kings and 
their times. 


It is a valuable book fo. ffie Sunday 
School Library. — S. S. Time* 


Elsie Dinsmore. 



Martha Farquharson, author of 
“Allan’s Fault,” etc. i6mo, il- 
lustrated $1 25 


A beautiful and instructive story, in which 
the power of true piety in a very young 
child is admirably exhibited in a series of 
trials which, though severe and unusual, 
are not beyond tne limits of probability. — 
Am. Presbyterian. 

Elsie is environed with besetments and 
trials, but is singularly faithful through 
/hem all, and gives promise by her sweet- 
ness of character to be the means of saving 
others. The sequel of this story will be 
eagerly looked for, as it closes at a very 
interesting point in the narrative. It is a 
charming book, and will give increased 
popularity to the authoress. — Phila. Home 
Journal. 


The Clifford Household. 

By the author of “ Independence 
True and False,” etc. i6mo, 
illustrated 1 25 


A tale illustrating the power of the reli- 
gion of Christ in strengthening a gentle 
shrinking girl for the performance of diffi- 
cult duties and the endurance of severe 
trials, and the power of the same religion 
in crushing and subduing a prcuci. imperi- 
ous nature so that it bows at &o the 
rule of Christ The story is well t*u.d.— 
Presbyterian. 

The story is well told, and tho spirit 
and lessons of the narrative are pure and 
evangelical . — A m. Presbyterian . 

A lifelike picture of home scenes. No 
fancy sketch ; no exaggeration ; no perfect 
characters ; ro angels ; but men, women, 
and children, as we find them in everyday 
life. — Springfield Union. 


The Finland Fami y; or 

Fancies taken from Fa< 5 ts. A 
Tale of the Past £?r the Present 
By Mrs. Susan Peyton Cornwell. 
i6mo , 3 illustrations. . $1 25 

This excellent story has been so long 
out of print as to be new to the present 
generation of readers. “ Its aim is to show 
the folly of a superstitious belief in signs 
and omens. It is full of the gentlest and 
sweetest sympathies, and at the same time 
commends the culture of the firmest and 
most steadfast principles.” — Chn. Intel- 
ligencer. 

Holidays at Roseiands . 

with some After Scenes in Elsie’s 
Life. A Sequel to Elsie Dins- 
more. By Martha Farquharson. 
i6mo, illustrated . . . $1 50 


Elsie is here brought through various 
trials and a severe and nearly fatal sick- 
ness to full enjoyment of her father’s affec- 
tion, and the happiness of seeing him a 
humble follower of her Divine Master. 
The story is even more intensely interest- 
ing than in the first part, as with added 
years Elsie’s character becomes more 
natural and mature. No reader of Elsie 
Dinsmore should fail to follow her story to 
its happy completion in this sequel. 

The Brownings. A Tale 

of the Great Rebellion. By J. 
G. Fuller. 1 vol. i6mo, illus- 
trated o 75 

A deeply interesting story of the trials 
and sufferings of a Union family in the late 
war. The scene is 'aid on the banks of 
the St. Mary’s, which separates Georgia 
from Florida. Impressive lessens, mora. 
and religious, as well as patriotic, are con 
veyed through the medium of the story. 

Lucy Lee, or All Things 

for Christ. By J. G. Fuller 
i6mo, illustrated . . . 1 oc 

“ This,” says the National Baptist 
“is one of the few that we would like t< 
have in every Sunday School library. L 
is written by one who knows the value oi 
experimental religion, and to whom th; 
service of God is a fountain of unceasint 
joy.” 

The two above volumes were formed 
bound in Tne and called “ The Brow/ 
ings.” 


Jim nile and Sunday School Books. 


The Brewer’s Family. 

By Mrs. Ellis A Temperance 
Story, i vol. *6mo . $i 25 

We find this an admirable story of Eng- 
lish life, by an English lady whose writings 
are well known on this side of the water. 
It describes how a Christian man, brought 
up to the business of a brewer, and until 
middle life never once imagining that there 
was in it any inccr.iistency with his Chris- 
tian profession, v*a. awakened at length to 
a sense of such inconsistency, and led to its 
abandonment. Tn his own experience in 
this regard his family also intimately 
shared. The story is an exceedingly in- 
teresting one, with an admirable lesson. — 
Christian Times. 

The Kemptons. A Tem- 
perance Story. By H. K. P., 
author of “ Robert, the Cabin 
Boy,” and other popular juvenile 
books. i6mo, 3 illustrations. 

1 25 

N« better temperance book has been 
issued from the press for many years. It 
is a well-told story of youthful struggles 
and triumphs, beautifully illustrating the 
olessings of temperance, and showing the 
ad ravages of intemperance. Many of its 
assages are of thrilling interest, and its 
vide circulation would be of great service 
o the cause of temperance. — Temperance 
A d vacate. 

A capital temperance story. It differs 
from most of the stories on this subject in 
that the family wheie history chiofly givos 
point to the argument is not that of a poor 
miserable outcast, but one of the highest 
espedlab’T.ty. — Sunday School Times. 

Capt. Christie’s Grand- 

daughter. i6mo, 3 illustrations. 

1 25 

In our boyhood we loved to read books 
which brought tears to our eyes. This 
story of Captain Christie would certainly 
have held a high place in our list of favor- 
ites if tested by this etfedt. It is an Eng- 
lish story of a retired sea-captain, living in 
Yorkshire with his grand-daughter and an 
orphan boy whom the old man adopted into 
his family ; indeed, the interest of the 
atory turns more on the boy than on the 
gill, but both are worthy of the love be- 
stowed on them. — National Baptist. 

The book is a valuable addition to our 
Sabbath School list . — Sunday School 
Tttues. 


Arny Carr. By Caroline 

Cheesebro. 3 illustrations, i6m<\ 

$1 15 

A story of a girl who, when an in. hut, 
was left in the cars asleep, abandoned by 
its mother, and was taken home and adopt- 
ed by the kind-hearted engineer. The g-'rl 
becomes in the end a blessing to the house 
by bringing into it, after her own conver- 
sion, the benign influence of the gospel. 
The story is very interesting, many of the 
scenes being new to this class of books, 
and the teachings evangelical and good. — 
Sunday School Times. 

Robert, the Cabin Boy. 

By H. K. P., author of “ Mary 
Alden,” etc. Illustrated, i6mo. 

1 *5 

A story of uncommon beauty and inter- 
est, about a boy who had been kidnapped 
when a child, and carried to sea by a sail- 
or. The dangers and temptations of a sea 
life are forcibly depicted ; also the great 
benefits of Bethel Societies and religious 
services for seamen, both when in port and 
when at sea. — Sunday School Times. 

Jacques Bonbieval ; or, 

The Days of the Dragonnades. 
A Tale of the Huguenots. By 
the author of “ Mary Powell.” 

1 vol. i6mo 1 oc 

So lifelike are the scenes described, 
that one unhesitatingly lends his confidence, 
and follows the little company of martyrs 
through all their sufferings from Papal 
cruelty in France, until they are safely 
landed on the shores of England. The 
story is one of intense interest, with all the 
added charm of novelty, from its quaint 
language and careful correspondence with 
the historical events of the time. — Hud- 
son Co. Republican. 

Cherry an d Violet. A 

Tale of the Great Plague. Bv 
the author of “ Mary Powell.” 
i6mo, cheap edition . . 1 15 

While not exclusively a religious tale, it 
is full of the spirit of self-sacrifice and duti- 
ful affedtion, and expressed diredtiy nuefl 
true religious feeling. 

This "beautiful story of domestic affec- 
tion, suffering, and self-sccrificing fidelity, 
will be read by old and young with eagei 
attention and pleasure.-- Christian In' 
Ulligeucer. 


Juvenile and Sundav School Books. 


The Schonberg Cotta Books. 6 vols. 1 8 mo, illus* 

trated, fc: sets. (Any volume sold separately.) $6 oo 


“Y'ung ~.?A old alike should read the entire set of Mrs. Chans*' Works, if thea 
would bt refi-eshea in the purest waters of Christianity.” 


Chronicles of the Schon- 


Winifred 


Bertram. 


berg Cotta Family. i8mo $i oo 


i8mo 


$1 oc 


The times of Lutfc ir and the Reforma- 
tion. 

The Early Dawn. 

i8mo , -i oo 

Christianity in England from the earliest 
times to the days of Wickliffe. 

Diary of Kitty TrevyU 

yan. i8mo i oo 

The times of Whitefield and the Wesleys. 


Modern English Life. 

The Daytons and the 

Davenauts. i8mo . . I oc 

The Civil Wars in Cromwell’s times. 

On Both Sides of the 

Sea. 1 8 mo . . . . $i o 

Continuation of the Daytons and Dave- 
nants, bringing the Puritans to New Eng- 
land. 


For a fuller description of the Cotta Books , see our General Catalogue . 


The Cousin Bessie Series. 6 vols. i6mo, beauti- 

fully bound in sets. (Any volume sold separately.) . . . $4 50 


Cousin Bessie. A Story 

of Youthful Earnestness. 4 il- 
lustrations o 85 

A story of an orphan girl who was re- 
vived into the family of her uncle, a weal- 
thy merchant, where she made herself very 
useful to the worldly and ungodly family by 
her modest but steadfast no to every entice- 
ment to sin. The story is directed mainly 
against the drinking usages of society, and 
is a first-class temperance tale for people in 
fashionable life. — S. S. Times. 

Tom Burton; or, The 

Better Way. 3 illustrations o 85 

The story of two journeymen mechanics, 
one of whom employed his leisure hours in 
reading and study, attending mechanics’ 
institutes, etc. The other frequented the' 
tavern. It is a good temperance story — 
S. S. Times. 

The Grahams. By J. 

G. Fuller. Illustrated . o 85 

An officer in the United States army was 
killed at the storming of Chapultepec, n 
the Mexican war. This little volume tells 
^he story of his widow and his three chil- 
li, on : hot' the latter were ’ducated, and 


what became of each. There is a good 
deal of variety in the incidents, and the 
lessons inculcated are those of unselfishness 
and duty. — S. S. Times. 

Toil and I rust ; o r , The 

Life Story of Patty, the Work- 
house Girl. 3 illustrations o 85 

The life-story of a workhouse girl, show- 
ing that poor unfortunates of this kind ar? 
not always destitute of good elements io 
their nature, but may sometimes be mould- 
ed into usefulness and propriety. The 
volume contains also some powerful lessons 
on intemperance. — S. S. Times. 

Alice and her Friends; 

or, The Crosses of Childhood. 
3 illustrations .... o 85 

A book intended for the young especially, 
and showing that every child has a cross ol 
some kind to take up. Mrs. Seymour, the 
v se woman of the book, first teaches 
bar little daughter “Alice” what her 
Cross is. Then, as her cousins ar d c the* 
Vends visit her from time to time, the 
crosses of each are several!*/ pointed out, 
and the.y are shown how meet them. 
The story is arranged with much nlrlitv 
and its teachings are as wise as t\iry 
impartial. — S. S. Times. 


The B rownmgs. For Description , sec page 1 . 



uvenile and Sunday-School Books 

PUBLISHED BY 


DODD & MEAD, 

(Successors to M. W. Dodd,) 


762 BBOADWAY, ITEW YOEEZ. 


The August Stories . 

By JACOB ABBOTT. 


AUGUST AND ELVIE. 
HUNTER AND TOM. 

Price 

i 

“Abounding with interesting in- 
cidents and matter, and told in 
language at once attractive and en- 
tertaining. Jacob Abbott, of all 
authors with whom we are acquaint- 
ed, has the happy faculty of striking 
the successful mean, and this is one of 
his best .” — Boston Evg. Traveler . 

“ Full of hints that young folks 
need to take to make them helpful, 
useful, and happy. We can scarcely 
conceive of a family where there are 
childien to be trained in which this, 
book would not be a real treasure. 
*— Sunday-School Times. 


SCHOONER MARY ANN. 
GRANVILLE VALLEY. 

.$1.60 per Volume. 

“ A child’s book by an Abbott is 
always a pleasant thing. We are 
always sure that in buying one we 
get a handful of wheat without the 
tares. Their books are safe, instruct- 
ive, and suggestive, and are written 
in an easy, quiet style that suits a 
child’s mind .” — Boston Courier. 

“ The child who does not love 
Jacob Abbott must be an anomaly. 
He has been the friend of a whole 
generation of children, who look 
upon “Rollo” and “Lucy” as 
immortal creations. He writes as 
no other man can.” — Courier . 


Juvenile and Sunday-School Books 


The Juno Stories. 

By JACOB ABBOTT. 

JUNO AND GEORGIE. JUNO ON A JOURNEY. 

MARY OSBORNE. HUBERT. 


Price, - 

‘‘Their practical value to parents 
and teachers, in short, their high 
character and usefulness for the 
children, in every respect entitle 
them to rank among the very 
best books for the S. S. library 
and home circle.” — Sunclay-School 
Times . 

“We call especial attention of 
parents to these books. Superin- 
tendents of Sunday-schools should 
not fail to place a copy in their libra- 
ries, for they are worthy of such dis- 
tinction, which is saying much in 
their praise.” — Church Gazette. 

H eroes of puritan ti 

vol. i6mo, - 

“This volume is in deed, one of the 
most readable books that has come 
in my way for a long time. It 
is written in a style of excellent 
simplicity, in an excellent Christian 
spirit, and abounds with incidents 
of thrilling and instructive inter- 
est. 

“Joel Hawes.” 


»1 35 per 'Volume. 

“We should be puzzled to sug- 
gest any book from whose perusal 
an average parent could derive a 
clearer perception of parental re- 
sponsibilities, or a conscientiously 
earnest one how successfully to go 
about their discharge. To children, 
in a different way, they are calcu- 
lated to be equally beneficial.”— 
Christian Union. 

“ They are intensely interesting 
records of boy and girl life, and as 
full of wholesome instruction as of 
interest.” — Our Monthly. 

[ES. By John Stoughton. One 
$i 25 

“ The materials for this volume 
have been collected partly from 
standard historical authorities, and 
partly from unpublished documents 
and local tradition, as well as scarce 
and curious tracts. The cause of 
Puritanism is the cause of spiritual 
religion. The men in question were 
greatly beloved of heaven.” 

— Extract from Preface. 


Juvenile and Sunday-School Books. 


Max Kromer. A Story of the Siege of Strasburg, 1870 

By Hesba Stretton, author of “Alone in London,” etc. 

One vol. i6mo, - $0.75 


“ The unpretending but most 
pathetic story of Max Kromer.” — 
New York Evening Post. 

“ A touching and beautiful narra- 
tive of the scenes and sufferings con- 
nected with the siege of Strasburg 
during the war of 1870.” — Chris- 
tian Instructor. 


“It is told with a naivete and 
simplicity that is charming.” — 
Christian Union. 

“A truthful but by no means over- 
drawn picture of the sufferings 
caused by this war, which will be 
read with an eager interest.” — Ad- 
vocate and Guardian. 


The Old Back Room, By Jennie Harrison. 

A charming story. 1 vol. i6mo, - - - - $1.50 


“There is something irresistibly 
attractive in this quiet and excellent 
story. ’ ’ — Com?nercial A dvertiser. 

“ The story is a gallery of little 
home pictures of juvenile life, with 
a very pronounced religious inculca- 
tion.” 

“The ‘Old Back Room’ is mother's 
room. The writer takes us there in 
imagination, and summoning up the 
memories of the past, tells the story 
of the girls and boys who grew up 
there, and what befell them after 
they went out to seek new homes 
of their own. The story, in other 
words, is the story of a family, giv- 
ing its varied life-experience, and 
inculcating, through the endear- 
ments of home, the duties of religion. 
The book is full of interest, and ad- 
mirably written.”— S. S. Times. 


“ This is one of the best Sunday- 
School books that we have read in a 
long time.” —S. S. Workman. 

“ This rather quaint title intro- 
duces a very attractive and charming 
little book. What is this Old Back 
Room ? Ah ! there is in and about 
it something sweet and sacred which 
can never belong to but just one 
room in any house ; for this is 
mother’s room, and this dear little 
volume tells us about that blessed 
mother and the sweet and goodly 
influence she extended, and the de- 
lightful charm she threw around 
her. We heartily commend the 
book to all ouv little folks ; and we 
are sure if they begin it they will go 
through it and be charmed with it, 
and be made by it better, w l ^r, 
happier. ” — Democrat. 


Juvenile and Sunday School Books. 


Geoffrey the Lollard. 

By Frances Eastwood. i6mo, 
richly illustrated and bound, $1.50 

“ The interest of the story is well sustained, 
and its moral tone and teaching are all 
that the thoughtful Christian reader could 
reasonably wish for.” — The interior. 

“ Such a book as this, telling of imprison- 
ment, wounds, and even martyrdom for the 
sake of the truth, will awaken in some 
minds new thoaghts of its nature, and of the 
blessings of religious freedom. It will be 
an excellent book for a S. S. library.” — 
Detroit Advertiser and Tribune. 

Nelly’s Daik Day 

By the author of ie Jessi ’s First 
Prayec,” “Alone in London,” 
&c., 1 Richly illustrated and 
bound, - ■ - - .75 

“ Nelly’s Dark Days is one of the most 
powerful presentations of the temperance 
argument that could possibly be made. We 
have never read anything more terrible and 
touching. The absolute mastery over body 
and soul which drink acquires in those who 
give way to it, is depicted in all its frightful- 
ness, and with a straightforwardness of lan- 
guage that goes right to the mark. And 
yet when the book comes to be analyzed it 
is a very simple little story, just such a one 
as you might find by thousands any day in 
the Five Points. In this very fact lies its 
power .” — New York Evening Mail. 

Labor Stands on Golden 

Feet. From the German of Hein- 
rich Zschokke. Translated by 
Joh N Y eats, LL. D. Richly illus- 
trated and bound, i6mo, $1.25 

** It gives the history of a German family 
of workers during three generations, which. • 
in fact, is the history of progress during 
over seventy years, and shows how probity 
and labor, hand in hand, exalt not merely 
individuals but also their country.” — Phila- 
delphia Press. 

“ The object of the tale is to out upon 
labor the patent of nobility, and with this 
object all true Americans must sympa- 
thise.” — Christian A avocate. 

“ The dignity of labor, the value of econo- 
my, industry, and kindness, are forcibly 
illustrated in a narrative that conveys 
both pleasure and profit ” — Presbyterian 
Banner. 


Marcella of Rome. 

The Fearless Christian Maiden 
Bv Frances Eastwood. i6mo 5 
richly illustrated and bound, $1. 5a 

This story, as well a" “ Geoffrey,” wa* 
originally published in Hours at Home, 
and in their serial form received the highest 
praise as stories of unusual merit. 

“ Marcella is a simple story, but told with 
a grace of diction and earnestness and 
pathos that must command attention. It is 
a graceful and touching story .” — Dailp 
Evenitig Journal. 

The Spanish Barber. 

A Talfe of the Bible in Spain. By 
the author of “Mary Powell.” 
i6mo, illustrated, - - $1.25 

This beautiful taie will attract unusual 
attention from its subject, as well as the 
reputation of its accomplished author. The 
story turns on the recent Revolution in 
Spain, opening the country to the Bible 
and religious toleration. Modern Spanish 
life is charmingly depicted, and the working 
of the recent changes strikingly illustrated 
in the varying fortunes of the Spanish Bar- 
ber and his family. 

“ This little story is a narrative of the 
experience of a corporteur introducing the 
Bible in Spain at a period only a few years 
back. The author gives us no harrowing 
stories of the Inquisition, the rack, and the 
dungeon. The scene is laid principally at 
Gibraltar. It will be read with deep inter- 
est by those who watch the progress of 
Pr .testant Christianity.” — Chicago Com- 
mercial. 

Philip Brantley’s Life 

Work, and How He Found It. 
By M. E. M. i6mo, illustrated, 

$i-iS 

A story of the heart — simple, earnest, 
evangelical. It is written in the form of a 
daily diary, and recounts the experiences 
and struggles of a country boy who passed 
through college, on the way found Christ, 
and after sundry trials, which refined his 
Christian character, became pastor of a 
church in the far West.” — A'. 6'. Journal. 

“ The account of the way Philip Brantley 
was led, and the way in which he at last 
found his life work and comfort and happi- 
ness in it, will be read with interest, and 
will teach the youth who read it profitable 
lessons.” — Evan. Repository. 


Juvenile and Sunday School Books, 


Geneva’s Shield. , 

A Story of the Swiss Reformation. 
By Rev. W. M. Blackburn, 
author of “ Ulrich Twingle,” 
“ William Farel,” “College Days 
of Calvin.” i6mo, three illustra- 
tions, - - - - $1.25 

“ The volume before us is in every way 
»n admirable one. It is a vivid and deeply 
interesting picture of the Swiss Reforma- 
tion, and the homely virtues and sterling 
piety and honesty, earnestness and devotion 
of the reformers, as displayed in these 
pages, are calculated to leave a healthy and 
profitable impression on the reader’s mind.” 
—The Standard. 

“ In the shape of a very fascinating story 
the dawn of the Swiss Reformation is here 
portrayed, previous to the advent of Calvin. 
More charming than romance, this story is 
more satisfying and ennobling. It ought to 
be in all the Sunday School libraries in the 
land.” — S. S. Times. 

“Resting on a solid basis of fact, the 
events of those times are described in an 
attractive narrative.” — Found Table. 

Paul and Margaret, the 

Inebriate’s Children. By H. K. 
P., author of “The Kempt ons,” 
“ The Orphan’s Triumphs,” &c. 
i6mo, three illustrations, $1.00 

“ A most instructive temperance tale. It 
takes the reader into the dreary home of the 
drunkard, and shows him an oppressed wife 
and suffering children. The young man 
Decame a soldier ; was wounded and taken 
to the hospital. His sister made a long 
journey, to be in the hospital with her bro- 
ther. Both acted nobly. The inebriate 
father died. Then the mother and her 
children were happily reunited in the com- 
forts of home.” — Christian Advocate. 

** A temperance story of the very best 
kind. A better book for the Sunday School 
has not visited us this long time.’’— S. S. 
Times. 

Oliver Wyndham. 

By the author of “ Naomi.” 
i6mo, - - - - $1.50 

An excellent and intensely interesting 
historical, by a well-known author. The 
scene is laid in the eventful period of the 
Great Plague and Fire in London. 


The Orphan’s Triumphs; 

Or, The Story of Lily and Harry 
Grant. By H. K. P., author of 
“ Paul and Margaret,” “ The 
Kempt ons,” & c. i6mo, three 
illustrations, - - - $1.25 

“ All books written for Sabbath School 
libraries have not the same merit as this. 
Lily Grant, the sweet sister of Harry, was 
the daughter of a clergyman, who, dying 
when she was quite small, left her to the 
care of a delicate, yet patient and loving 
mother, whose short life of uncomplaining 
suffering left its impress upon the daughter’# 
mind, and whose blessed teachings followed 
her through life. Taken into a wealthy 
family, she was loved by all except one self- 
willed, imperious little girl, whose hatred 
of her arose from the strong contrast she 
saw existed between herself and the little 
orphan. Bat the sweet Lily conquers in 
the end, and Belle is won to the love of 
Jesus, and becomes her firm and faithful 
friend. A sweet story, and one we cheer- 
fully recommend to Sabbath Schools and 
families.” — J. C. Monthly Chronicle. 

Oriental and Sacred 

Scenes. From Notes and Travel 
in Greece, Turkey, and Palestine. 
With valuable illustrations, some 
of them beautifully colored. By 
Fisher Howe. A new edition, 
i6mo, - - - - $1.50 

The author’s motive was “ the hope of 
usefulness to teachers of Sabbath School 
and Bible Classes and it is to them, as 
well as to all desiring a concise, available, 
and interesting account of the Holy Land, 
that this beautiful volume is recommended. 
The new edition is issued at a reduced 
price, to bring it within the reach of Sabbath 
School Libraries, &c. 

“ Mr. Howe’s sketches, by their brevity 
and popular interest, will attract the mas# 
of Bible readers more even than the elabo- 
rate researches of Robinson and Smith.”—- 
Jourjial 0/ Co?nmerce. 

The Officer’s Children. 

A Story of the Indian Mutiny. 
i8mo, - - - - .75 

A charming story founded on fact, and 
written by one who had a personal exp 
rience of the scenes described. 


Jlvenile am> Sunday School Books*. 


? reigns of the Bi’bie. 

b* E. R. Steel. With illumina- 
ted title and many illustrations. 
i6mo.. beautifully bound, $i 50 

The scattered faCts in the Lives of the 
Kings of Israel and Judah are skilfully 
arranged in one continuous narrative, true 
to life as given in the Sailed Record, and 
aseful to those who would rain a clear and 
continuous view of the Biule Kings and 
their times. 

It is a valuable book for the Sunday 
School Library. — S. S. Tima, 

Elsie Dinsmore. By 

Martha Farquharson, author of 
“ Allan’s Fault,” etc. i6mo, il- 
lustrated $1 25 

A beautiful and instructive story, in which 
the power of true piety in a very young 
child is admirably exhibited in a series of 
trials which, though severe and unusual, 
are not beyond the limits of probability. — 
Am. Presbyterian. 

Elsie is environed with besetments and 
trials, but is singularly faithful through 
them all, and gives promise by her sweet- 
ness of character to be the means of saving 
others. The sequel of this story will be 
eagerly looked for, as it closes at a very 
interesting point in the narrative. It is a 
charming book, and will give increased 
popularity to the authoress. — Phila. Home 
Journal. 

The Clifford Household. 

By the author of “ Independence 
True and False,” etc. i6mo, 
illustrated 1 25 

A tale illustrating the power of the reli- 
gion of Christ in strengthening a gentle 
shrinking girl for the performance of diffi- 
cult duties and the endurance of severe 
trials, and the power of the same religion 
in crushing and subduing a prcud, imperi- 
ous nature so that it bows at ’*Kt to the 
rule of Christ The story is wdl tend. — 
Presbyterian. 

The story is well told, and the spirit 
and lessons of the narrative are pure and 
evangelical. — A m. Presbyterian . 

A lifelike picture of home scenes. No 
fancy sketch ; no exaggeration ; uo perfect 
characters ; ro angels ; but men, w omen, 
and children, as we find them in everyday 
life. — Springfield Union. 


The Finland Fami y; or 

Fancies taken from Fa6ts. A 
Tale of the Past ccr the Present 
By Mrs. Susan Peyton Cornwell. 
l6mo , 3 illustrations. . $1 25 

This excellent story has been so long 
out of print as to be new to the present 
generation of readers. “ Its aim is to show 
the folly of a superstitious belief in signs 
and omens. It is full of the gentlest and 
sweetest sympathies, and at the same time 
commends the culture of the firmest and 
most steadfast principles.” — Chn. Intel- 
ligencer. 

Holidays at Roseiands , 

with some After Scenes in Elsie’s 
Life. A Sequel to Elsie Dins- 
more. By Martha Farquharson. 
i6mo, illustrated . . : |i 50 

Elsie is here brought through various 
trials and a severe and nearly fatal sick- 
ness to full enjoyment of her father’s affec- 
tion, and the happiness of seeing him a 
humble follower of her Divine Master. 
The story is even more intensely interest- 
ing than in the first part, as with added 
years Elsie’s character becomes more 
natural and mature. No reader of Elsia 
Dinsmore should fail to follow her story to 
its happy completion in this sequel. 

The Brownings. A Tale 

of the Great Rebellion. By J. 
G. Fuller. 1 vol. i6mo, illus- 
trated o 75 

A deeply interesting story of the trials 
and sufferings of a Union family in the late 
war. The scene is 'aid on the banks of 
the St. Mary’s, which separates Georgia 
from Florida. Impressive lessens, mora. 
and religious, as well as patriotic, are con 
veyed through the medium of the story. 

Lucy Lee, or All Things 

for Christ. By J. G. Fuller 
i6mo, illustrated . . . 1 oc 

“This,” says the National Baptist 
“ is one of the few that we would like t« 
have in every Sunday School library. It 
is written by one who knows the value oi 
experimental religion, anct to whom the 
service of God is a fountain of unceasing 
joy.” 

The two above volumes were former? 
bound in one and called “The Brow/ 
iegs.'* 


Jim nile and Sunday School Books. 


The Brewer’s Family. 

By Mrs. Ellis, A Temperance 
Story, i vol. *6tno . $i 25 

W e find this an admirable story of Eng- 
lish life, by an English lady whose writings 
are well known on this side of the water; 
It describes how a Christian man, brought 
up to the business of a brewer, and until 
middle life never once imagining that there 
was in it any inconsistency with his Chris- 
tian profession, w-t. awakened at length to 
a sense of such incoBoistency, and led to its 
abandonment. In his own experience in 
this regard his family also intimately 
shared. The story is an exceedingly in- 
teresting one, with an admirable lesson. — 
Christian Times . 

The Kemptons. A Tem- 
perance Story. By H. K. P., 
author of “ Robert, the Cabin 
Boy,” and other popular juvenile 
books. i6mo, 3 illustrations. 

1 25 

N<s better temperance book has been 
issued from the press for many years. It 
is a well -told story of youthful struggles 
and triumphs, beautifully illustrating the 
blessings of temperance, and showing the 
ad ravages of intemperance. Many of its 
assages are of thrilling interest, and its 
vide circulation would be of great service 
o the cause of temperance. — Temperance 
A dvocate. 

A capital temperance story. It differs 
from most of the stories on this subject in 
that the farnhy whom history chiefly gives 
point to the argument is not that of a poor 
miserable outcast, but one of the highest 
espedtabil'ty. — Sunday School Times. 

Capt Christie’s Grand- 

daughter. ibmo, 3 illustrations. 

1 25 

In our boyhood we loved to read books 
which brought tears to our eyes. This 
story of Captain Christie would certainly 
have held a high place in our list of favor- 
ites if tested by this etfedt. It is an Eng- 
lish story of a retired sea-captain, living in 
Yorkshire with his grand-daugliter and an 
orphan boy whom the old man adopted into 
his family ; indeed, the interest of the 
stoty turns more on the boy than on the 
girl, but both are worthy of the love be- 
stowed on them. — National Baptist. 

The book is a valuable addition to our 
Sabbath School list. — Sunday School 
Ttmct. 


Amy Carr. By Caroline 

Cheesebro. 3 illustrations, i6mcv 

$1 15 

A story of a girl who, when an in.hnt, 
was left in the cars asleep, abandoned by 
its mother, and was taken home and adopt- 
ed by the kind-hearted engineer. The girl 
becomes in the end a blessing to the house 
by bringing into it, after her own conver- 
sion, the benign influence of the gospel. 
The story is very interesting, many of the 
scenes being new to this class of books, 
and the teachings evangelical and good.— 
Sunday School Times. 

Robert, the Cabin Boy. 

By H. K. P., author of “Mary 
Alden,” etc. Illustrated, i6mo. 

1 IS 

A story of uncommon beauty and inter- 
est, about a boy who had been kidnapped 
when a child, and carried to sea by a sail- 
or. The dangers and temptations of a sea 
life are forcibly depicted ; also the great 
benefits of Bethel Societies and religious 
services for seamen, both when in port and 
when at sea. — Sunday School Times. 

Jacques Bonneval ; or, 

The Days of the Dragonnades. 
A Tale of the Huguenots. By 
the author of “ Mary Powell.” 
1 vol. i6mo 1 oc 

So lifelike are the scenes described, 
that one unhesitatingly lends his confidence, 
and follows the uttle company of martyrs 
through all their sufferings from Papal 
cruelty in France, until they are safely 
landed on the shores of England. The 
story is one of intense interest, with all the 
added charm of novelty, from its quaint 
language and careful correspondence with 
the historical eyents of the time. — Hud- 
son Co. Republican. 

Cherry and Violet. A 

Tale of the Great Plague. By 
the author of “ Mary Powell.*' 
i6mo, cheap edition . . I 15 

While not exclusively a religious tale, i( 
is full of the spirit of self-sacrifice and duti« 
ful affedtion, and express©* diredtly aiucfl 
true religious feeling. 

This beautiful story of domestic affec- 
tion, suffering, and self-sacrificing fidelity, 
will be read by old and young with eagei 
attention and' <, fleas ur t.— Christian It r 
telligencer. 


Juvenile and Sunday School Books. 


The Schonberg Cottci Books. 6 vols. 1 8 mo, illus* 

trated, ic sets. (Any volume sold separately.) ..... $6 oc 

“Y'unj, asd old alike should read the entire set of Mrs. Chants*" Works, if thei 
would be leh-eshea in the purest waters of Christianity. ” 


Chronicles of the Schon- 

berg Cotta Family. i8mo |i oo 

The times of Luther and the Reforma- 
tion. 

The Early Dawn. 

i8mo I oo 

Christianity in England from the earliest 
times to the days of Wickliffe. 

Diary of Kitty TrevyU 

yarn i8mo i oo 

The times of Whitefield and the Wesleys. 


Winifred Bertram. 

i8mo $1 oo 

Modern English Life. 

The Daytons and the 

Davenants. i8mo . . I 00 

The Civil Wars in Cromwell’s times. 

On Both Sides of the 

Sea. 18 mo . . . . $i o 

Continuation of the Daytons, and Dave- 
mants, bringing the Puritans to New Eng- 
land. 


For a fuller description of the Cotta Books , see our General Catalogue. 


The Cousin Bessie Senes . 6 vols. 1 6 mo, beauti- 
fully bound in sets. (Any volume sold separately.) . . . $4 50 


Cousin Bessie. A Story 

of Youthful Earnestness. 4 il- 
lustrations o 85 

A story of an orphan girl who was re- 
leived into the family of her uncle, a weal- 
thy merchant, where she made herself very 
useful to the worldly and ungodly family by 
her modest but steadfast no to every entice- 
ment to sin. The story is directed mainly 
against the drinking usages of society, and 
is a first-class temperance tale for people in 
fashionable life. — S. S. Times. 

Tom Burton ; or, The 

Better Way. 3 illustrations o 85 

The story of two journeymen mechanics, 
one of whom employed his leisure hours in 
reading and study, attending mechanics’ 
institutes, etc. The other frequented the 
tavern. It is a good temperance story. — 
S. S. Times. 

The Grahams. By J. 

G. Fuller. Illustrated . o 85 

An officer in the United States army was 
killed at the storming of Chapultepec, 'n 
the M exican war. This little volume tells 
the story of his widow and his three chil- 
mon; hew the latter wero educated, and 

The Brownings. 


what became of each. There is a good 
deal of variety in the incidents, and the 
lessons inculcated are those of unselfishness 
and duty. — S. S. Times. 

Toil an d T rust ; or, The 

Life Story of Patty, the Work- 
house Girl. 3 illustrations o 85 

The life-story of a workhouse girl, show- 
ing that poor unfortunates of this kind are 
not always destitute of good elements ia 
their nature, but may sometimes be mould- 
ed into usefulness and propriety. Tha 
volume contains also some powerful lessons 
on intemperance. — S. S. Times. 

Alice and her Friends; 

or, The Crosses of Childhood. 
3 illustrations .... o 8 S 

A book intended for the young especially, 
and showing that every child has a cross of 
some kind to take up. Mrs. Seymour, tha 
v se woman of the book, first teaches 
her little daughter “ Alice ” what her 
Cross is. Then, as her cousins ard ether 
Spends visit her from time to time, tha 
crosses of each are severally pointed out, 
and they are shown how to meet them. 
The story is arranged with much ability 
and its teachings are as wise as they a*> 
impartial. — .S'. S’. Times. 

For Description^ sec page s. 


Dodd . & Mead's Catalogue. 

The Miinpriss Graded Uniform Lesson Series. 

H 'HE LIFE OF CHRIST. — Harmonized from the Four 
*■“ Evangelists. A Sunday-School Lesson-Book, in Three 
Grades — Grade First, for the Younger Classes ; Grade 
Second, for Children ; Grade Third, for Youth. 

In boards, each Grade, . . $0.20 ; $18.00 per hundred. 

In Paper, “ “ . . $0.15; $13.00 per hundred. 

r EACHERS’ MANUAL— For the First, Second, and 
Third Grades. 

Containing Map, Questions, Explanations, Geographical 
and other information, and an Introduction explaining the 
System, and showing How to Teach. i8mo. 

In cloth, each Grade, .... $0.60 ; $6.50 per dozen. 

In Boards, “ “ .... $o.4o ; $4.25 per dozen* 


Fourth or Bible Class Grade. 

S TUDIES ON THE GOSPEL HARMONY.— Con- 
taining Suggestive Questions, Scripture Illustrations, 
Practical Lessons, Exercises in Supplemental Narrative, 
and Christ our Example. With Chart. Revised and 

Cheaper Edition. i6mo, board. . 0.40 $4.25 per dozen. 
To Accompany the Fourth Grade. 
r PHE GOSPELS IN HARMONY.— Having the Text of 
the Four Evangelists in parallel columns, with Notes, 
References and Chart: 

Pocket Edition, small type, paper, 0.60 ; cloth, 0.75 

i6mo il larger u “ 1.25 

Ti l's volume is an almost indispensable accompaniment to the Studies on the 
Harmony. Both editions have the Life of Christ entire, and furnish the text for 
the whole 100 lessons, and thus accompany the second as well as the first vt lum«* 
of the Studies. 

T HE GOSPEL TREASURY (see next page) is the 
TEACHER’S MANUAL for the Fourth Grade. 

The Life of Christ is completed in. One Hundred Lessons, making a 
Fears’ Course. The Lesson Books and Manuals, as above, contain Fifty 
Lessons, leaving a Second Volume to complete the Course. 

N B. — The Second Volume will be published Jn April, uniform in pyi/f and 
tjyl* with the various Grades of the First Volume 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 


M IMPRISS.— GOSPEL TREASURY AND TREA 3 
URY HARMONY OF THE FOUR EVANGE 
LISTS : having the Text in parallel columns. With Scrip* 
ture Illustrations, Practical Reflections, and Addenda 
Geographical, Biographical, Topographical, Historical, and 
Critical, illustrating manners, customs, opinions, and local- 
ities of the Sacred Narrative, with analytical and historical 
tables, and a very copious index : also a chart, with every 
event numbered and localized. By Robert Mimpriss. 
Crown 8vo., over 900 pp. Cloth extra, red edges, . $3 50 

Quarto edition, large type, cloth extra, .... 75 ° 

It will be foutid to supply an amount and kind of information not 
found in any other volume, and to fill an unoccupied place in the 
literature of Bible Helps. Its value to Sunday-school teachers and 
private students of the Bible especially, is inestimable. 

The Harmony is according to Greswell, and in the words of the a»thorized 
version. 

An important feature is the arrangement of the Four Evangelists in parallel 
columns, and in juxtaposition. This is carried out with great minuteness, giving 
a comparison of verses and lines, and even words for consultation at sight. The 
arrangement also admits of the Harmony being read as a continuous narrative. 

The Notes have been carefully selected from the best sources. 

The Geographical notices are from the most reliable authorities. 

The A ddenda supply a great variety of matter for consultation, illustrating the 
text. 

The Scripture Illustrations are very full, and are calculated to lead to an intel- 
ligent knowledge of the Old and New Testaments. 

“ It is not easy to state in a few words the merits of this extraordinary book. To 
lay that it is useful, excellent, valuable, and the like, is tame, and far below its 
merits. It is in all respe<5ts a most unusual book, and the labor in its preparation 
must have been immense. It is in its own department without a parallel in the 
language, and stands many degrees at the head of its class.” — Primitive Church 
Magazine , England. 

“ For us who have so earnestly approved the work, and urged it upon the atten- 
tion of Sunday-school teachers, it is quite unnecessary to add another word. It 
ranks :.mong the very first companions of the Bible in bible study. It is a con- 
densed commentary of commentaries, a right-hand helper in the preparation of New 
Testament lessons.” — S. S. Times. 

“No circulation can ever repay in money value the time expended on it. Should 
I ever be permitted to go over the same ground again, I expedt to derive great 
assistance from it.” — Rev. James Hamilton , D.D. 

“ The Gospel Treasury prepared by Robert Mimpriss I consider one of the most 
valuable helps to a Sunday-school teacher that I have ever seen.” — Rev. Stephen 
H. Tyng, D.D. 

“ Anything like an adequate idea of the immense amount of information upon 
the New Testament incorporated within the compass of this handsome volume, it 
is difficult to convey. Within its portable compass we find matter compressed 
Brfficient to fill ter rdinary demy octavos.” — Sun lay-School Teacher’s Magazine. 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 

The Mimpriss Graded Uniform Lesson Series 


Teachers’ Helps accompanying the System. 

For fuller descriptions see Catalogue pages 14 and 15. 

T he gospel treasury and treasury har- 
mony OF THE FOUR EVANGELISTS. With Notes, 
Pra&ical Refle&ions, Geographical Notices, Copious Index, Map, 
&c., &c. Crown 8vo., cloth extra, $3 50 

This invaluable Teacher's Help is especially useful to teachers of this system, 
and should be in the hands of all who can afford to own a copy. It is divided into 
one hundred sections, corresponding with the one hundred lessons, and supplies, in 
one compact volume, just the material needed in preparing the lesson. 

T HE PATL, OF JESUS. ‘ With cloth back, folded for the 

Pocket, $0 20 

For the Wall, mounted on rollers, size 4x5 feet, . 7 00 

This Chart is the same as that in the Lesson-Books, Manuals, &c., but on 
larger scales. The pocket size is large enough for class use. The wall size should 
be owned by every school studying the system, and will be found an invaluable aid 
to the superintendent or pastor in addressing the school upon the lesson. 


T HE STEPS OF JESUS. With Chart. i8mo., cloth, $o 75 
“ “ Pocket edition, cloth, flexible, 35 


This volume is in the precise words of the authorized version, but arranged to 
read as a continuous narrative. It may be used to great advantage as a reading 
book for classes studying the life of Christ, and is especially adapted as a reward or 
preseu i for such. 


OSPEL PICTURES OF OUR LORD’S LIFE. In Chro- 



nological Order. From Original Drawings by Wm. Brough. 


Part First. 50 Cards. In a Packet 


o 35 


These pictures are especially designed for the infant and younger classes. There 
Is a card for each lesson, having, in addition to the picture, the text of the lesson 
printed on the back, with brief questions, &c. They will be found a very desirable 
accompaniment to the First Grade Lesson Book. 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue . 


The Mimpriss Graded Uniform Lesson Series. 

FEATURES OF THE SYSTEM 

The renewed interest in the Sunday-school work has led to an urgent 
demand for improved methods of Bible study. It is believed that the 
Mimpriss System of Instruction fully meets this demand, and is 
worthy of the careful attention of the most enlightened and intelli- 
gent Sunday-school workers. It is the result of great experience and 
labor, and is constructed on well -tested principles, the author’s works 
being well known as the basis of much of the late improvement in 
Sunday-school instruction. The following are some of its peculiarities : 

It is 

A GRADED SYSTEM. 

The school is divided into three grades, with a higher grade for the 
Bible Classes. The subject of the lesson is the same in all the grades, 
but adapted in each to the capacity of the scholar. This secures all 
the advantages of a Uniform Lesson throughout the school while 
providing a course suited to the age and capability of all classes. 

THE TEACHER’S MANUALS 
are a feature peculiar to the system which needs only to be seen to 
be appreciated. 

They contain, with the Questions, etc., in the Scholar’s book, full 
Geographical, Explanatory, and other information, Scripture Paral- 
lels, Practical Lessons, and a variety of matter calculated to make 
the lesson attractive , instructive and impressive. The Introduction 
is very valuable, furnishing to the Teacher a guide in preparing and 
teaching the lesson; which will prove of great practical service. 

Upon the principle of fixing facts in the memory by associating 
them with localities, special attention is paid to the 
GEOGRAPHY. 

The Lesson-books, as well as the Manuals, are provided with a Chart 
of the Holy Land, tracing the journeys of Christ and localizing all the 
events in his life and ministry. The System is provided with abundant 
TEACHER’S AND SUPERINTENDENT’S HELPS, 
prepared expressly for this series of lessons. Mimpriss’ well-known 
Gospel Treasury is divided into sections corresponding to the 
lessons of the system, and supplies the teacher in compact form with 
an immense amount of information bearing upon the very subject of 
his study. The Wall Size Chart will be found an exceedingly 
Valuable aid to the pastor or superintendent in addressing the whole 
school, upon the lesson. 

It is thus remarkable for its 

COMPLETENESS, 

being provided with aids and appliances for all classes and depart- 
ments. It differs entirely from the old 

QUESTION-BOOK SYSTEM, 

jrging independent study upon the teacher, and providing him with 
ample means and facilities for qualifying himself for his work, while the 
scholar is taught to use the questions as a guide in his home preparation. 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 

pULPIT ELOQUENCE (History and Repository 
of) ; Deceased Divines j containing the Masterpieces of 
Bossuet, Bourdaloue, Massillon, Flcchier, Isaac Barrow, 
Jeremy Taylor, Chalmers, Robert Hall, McLaurin, Christ- 
mas Evans, Edwards, John M. Mason, etc. With DIS- 
COURSES from the Fathers and the Reformers, and the 
marked men of all countries and times, from the Apostles 
to the present century ; with Historical Sketches of Preach- 
ing in each of the countries represented, and Biographical 
and Critical Notices of the several Preachers and their 
Discourses. By Henry C. Fish, D.D. A new edition. 
Two volumes in one, large 8vo. Cloth extra, . . $5 50 

It is believed to contain a very complete history of preaching, and 
of the great pitlpit orators ; and to embody an amount of Christian 
eloquence, on a great variety of topics , such as was never before pre- 
sented in anything like the same compass. More than eighty different 
preachers are here represented ; each by a brief sketch, and by his 
most celebrated discourse. Under the Greek and Latin pulpit, there 
are eight discourses ; under the English, twenty-two ; under the 
German, ten ; under the French, eleven ; under the Scottish, nine ; 
under the American, sixteen ; under the Irish, four ; under the Welsh, 
three. It will be seen that more than thirty are from foreign languages. 
The translations are uniformly from high sources. 

About fifty of these discourses are not accessible to the public 
except in this work, and most of the others are from works exceed- 
ingly rare and costly. The sermon of John Knox, for example, is 
the one for which he was arrested and forbidden to preach, and is 
the only extant discourse the great reformer put forth. 

“ The idea has been carried out with wonderful completeness. Such a body of 
homiletic literature, embracing so great a variety, and so instructive indications, has 
never been brought together before. .... The interest and value 
of such a collection can hardly be over-estimated.” — Evangelist. 

“ The historical information communicated in these volumes will, of itself, more 
ihan repay the expense of their purchase.” — Bibliotheca Sacra . 

“ The oiographical and critical notices add much to the value of the work.” — 
Independent. 

“ The work is a library in itself, which every theological student, clergyman, and 
layman will be proud to own.”— Public Ledger. 

“ No clergyman who would possess an in ust rated history of pulpit eloquence can 
dispense with this most stimulating and rewarding work.”— Congregationalisi. 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 


C UMMING’S EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 
A Manual of Bible Evidence for the People. 
By Rev. John Cumming, D.D. With an Introduction by 
Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen. A new edition. i8mo. 

$o 90 

Highly valued as a text book for schools. 

“For all classes this is an admirable summary — compendious but complete — of 
the evidences of Christianity. Its style is more polished, and its learning mors 
profound than Nelson’s; but it is well adapted to carry conviction to plain minds, 
and to suggest to the Christian arguments and farfts for the defence of his faith.”— 
N Y Independent. 

F ENELON & MADAME GUYON. — SPIRITUAL 
PROGRESS ; or, Instructions in the Divine Life 
of the Soul. F rom the F rench of F enelon and Madame 
Guyon. Edited by James W. Metcalf. 121110, extra 
cloth, bevelled boards $i 50 

“ There are in it Fenelon’s Christian Counsel and Spiritual Letters, and Madame 
Guyon’s Short and Easy Method of Prayer. The deeply spiritual, devoted, and 
earnest tone of these writings need not be remarked upon. The readers of these 
eminently suggestive Counsels, while they will find many doubtful and obscure pas- 
sages, will find so many others that speak to the innermost soul, and that breathe the 
very air and music of heaven, that he will not fail of both delight and impulse in 
their careful perusal.” — N Y. Evangelist. 

“This book, consisting of choice selections, the transcripts of the inward conflicts 
and the results of the rich experiences of the pious Fenelon and Madame Guyon, we 
have found very congenial to our taste. Richer, sweeter, more profitable communion 
with one’s own heart and one’s own God are not to be found, we believe, in any 
Uiinspired book save the work of Bunyan I'— Journal and Messenger. 

TTOWE’S ORIENTAL AND SACRED SCENES. 
•*“ From Notes of Travel in Greece, Turkey, and Pales- 
tine. With numerous valuable illustrations — some of them 
beautifully colored. By Fisher Howe. A new edition. 
i6mo 1 50 

“ There is no book extant that brings these important scenes so clearly before the 
mind of the unlearned reader, or in a form so cheap, so substantial, so beautiful.” — 
N. Y. Independent. 

“ Mr. Howe’s sketches, by their brevity and popular interest, will attraCl the maae 
of Bible-readers more even than the elaborate researches of Robinson and Smith.* 
—Jour, of Commerce. 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 


S PENCER.— A PASTOR’S SKETCHES ; or, Conver- 
sations with Anxious Inquirers, respecting the 
Way of Salvation. By I. S. Spencer, D.D., late 
Pastor Second Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. 

A new edition. One vol. large i2mo. Price reduced 
from $3.50 to $2 00 

It is believed no striftly religious work of the present century has 
had so wide a circulation, or excited a deeper interest than this. 

The following titles of a few of the sketches will give an idea of 
their charadter : — Business Hindrance — Writing for Convi&ion — 
The Whole Heart — The Welsh Woman and her Tenants — The 
Arrow Driven Deeper — Human Resolves — Easy to be a Christian — 
The Brown Jug — My Old Mother ; or, Conscience in Trade — Family 
Prayer — I can’t Feel. 

JAY’S PRAYERS FOR THE USE OF FAMILIES; 
J or, The Domestic Minister’s Assistant. With an 
Appendix containing a number of Select and Original 
Prayers for particular occasions. By William Jay, author 
of “ Morning and Evening Exercises, Autobiography,” 
i2mo, cloth. Price reduced from $1.50 to . . $1 00 

A beautiful edition of this well-known and valuable work. 

“ The venerable author, William Jay, is widely known in both hemispheres, and 
his praise is in all the churches. The work before us has passed through various 
editions, and is beyond all question one of the best books of the kind which have yet 
appeared. It is designed for those who, on account of their slender degree of reli- 
gious knowledge, or natural slowness and hesitation of utterance, or constitutional 
timidity, cannot gain sufficient confidence for extemporaneous prayer. Though not 
friendly to forms of prayer, yet we would strongly recommend the use of them to all 
such persons.” — Christian Intelligencer. 

“ This volume has long been looked upon as one of the best collections of devo 
tional exercises for the domestic circle that has been published, and by a large clast 
of Christians it is considered as invaluable.” — Courier <5r» Inquirer. 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue . 


M IMPRISS.— A HARMONY OF THE FOUR 
EVANGELISTS, in the words of the Authorized 
Version, according to Gres well’s “ Harmonia Evangelical 
arranged in parallel columns ; having marginal references 
and occasional notes, with all the events numbered in chron- 
ological succession and geographically localized in the 
accompanying chart. Compiled by Robert Mimpriss 

One vol. i6mo., cloth, $i 25 

i8mo. edition, cloth, $0 75 ; paper, o 60 

The four accounts of the Life of Christ are here placed side by side, and so 
arranged that an intelligent and exadt comparison may be made at a glance. They 
are also arranged to be read as a continuous narrative. 

This is the Bible- Class Text- Book for Sunday Schools using Mim- 
priss' Graduated Lessons on the Life of Christ. 

STUDIES ON THE GOSPEL HAR- 
MONY, or Class Papers for Home and Bible-Class Study. 
Containing Suggestive Questions, Scripture Illustrations, 
Practical Lessons, Exercises in Supplemental Narrative, 
and Christ our Example. i6mo., in two vols., each, $0 40 

These studies, with the Harmony above, are the Text-Books for the Bibb Class 
in Sunday Schools studying Mimpriss’ Graduated Lessons on the Life of Christ. 
They are also a valuable aid to private study of the Gospels. 

THE STEPS OF JESUS. A Narra- 
tive Harmony of the Four Evangelists, in the words of the 
Authorized Version. With a Chart of the Life and Ministry 
of our Lord. By Robert Mimpriss. i8mo., cloth, $0 75 
Pocket edition, cloth, 03c 

This volume is in the words of the authorized version, without addition, omis- 
sion, or alteration, and is a completely harmonized account of our Lord’s Life and 
Ministry in a continuous narrative. It is valuable for private reading, well suited for 
a Sunday-School reward, and may be used to great advantage as a reading book for 
classes engaged in study of the Gospel Harmony. 

THE PATH OF JESUS. An Out- 
line Chart of the Holy Land, tracing the Journeys of 
Christ, and localizing all the events in his Life and Minis- 
try. With cioth back, folded Jo 20 

The same, for the wall, mounted >n rollers, size, 5 i feet 
by 4 feet, $7 00 


Dodd 6 ° Mead's Catalogue. 


T HE VICTORY OF THE VANQUISHED. By the author of 
the Schonberg-Cotta Family, i vol. i2mo, - - $i 50 

She has selected a period of the very deepest interest — the first century 
— and in graphic style describes the facts relating to Christians and many 
of the customs and acts of the times, both among the friends and enemies 
of Christ and his church. It has all the interest of the strongest romance, 
and is pervaded throughout with a truly evangelical and Christian spirit. 

“To step back nineteen centuries and find ourselves domesticated in the Rome of 
the Caesars is a feat which, by the help of this beautiful story, we have been able to ac- 
complish.” — Christian Union. 

“There is a peculiar vividness in her portraiture of historical events and eras that is 
born only for a genius for such studies, — a genius that enlists heart and soul, and trans- 
lates the author into the scenes and surroundings she would depict. Coupled with this 
is that other gift, the power to carry her readers with her at will. The present work 
shows all the strong peculiarities of the others in the series. It is a story of the first cen- 
tury, and makes a charming monogram, rich in its satisfactions to all classes of readers, 
young and old.” — Sunday-School Times. . 

M ARY, THE HANDMAID OF THE LORD. By the author 
of the Schonberg-Cotta Family. i6mo, tinted paper. Cloth 
extra, - - - * - -- ---$125 

• V 

This work is intensely devotional in its nature. The subject is Mary, 
the Mother of the Lord. Out of her life history the author has diawn 
a series of seven essays, all of which are pure as water of life. The 
book is not historic, as are the other literary productions of the same 
lady, but its talent is none the less marked than that which is displayed in 
the Schonberg-Cotta Family. This fact is enough to recommend it to all 
lovers of truth and piety. 

“It is written with all the accomplished author’s charm of style, and breathes a devo- 
tion and fervor which cannot fail to kindle corresponding emotions in the heart of the 
reader.” — Christian Times. 

“Novelty of incident of course is not the charm of this beautiful book. It is the re- 
verent and thoughtful tone of mind that the author brings to the contemplation of one of 
the most deeply interesting characters of holy writ.”— New York Times. 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 


By the Author of “Mary Powell.” 

P ASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF THE FAIRE GOS 
PELLER, MISTRESS ANNE ASKEW, Recounted 

BY THE UNWORTHIE PEN OF NICHOLAS MOLDWARP, B.A., 
and now first set forth by the author of “ Mary Powell.” 
A new edition, i6mo, tinted paper, cloth extra . . fi oo 

“ The narrator represents himself as a governor or tutor in the house 
of Sir William, to whom the fair Anne was devotedly attached, who 
befriended her when her own kindred spurned her as a heretic, and 
followed her to prison and the place of execution. The story of her 
beautiful life, and sad, yet glorious death, is touchingly told. While 
the details of the narrative are necessarily fi6titious, it has the simple 
charm and delightful freshness of veritable history.” 

“ The character of Anne is most exquisitely drawn, and the events in her life are 
so pathetically and naturally recounted, that it is scarcely possible that the book should 
fail to charm its readers, whether Catholic or Protestant.” — Georgetown Courier. 

“ The story of the F aire Gospeller, who was burned at the stake in London, in 
1536, is very beautifully and touchingly told.” — N. Y. Citizen. 

“ One is carried back in a wonderful way by its old style, form and manner, and 
the recital of events as by one who witnessed and shared them, into the very mids* 
of the times when Anne Askew suffered so bravely in the cause of her Lord.” — 
Christian Times. 

J ACQUES BONNEVAL ; or, The Days of the Dra- 
gonnades. By the author of Mary Powell. 1 vol. 
i6mo $1 00 

“ A young Huguenot is made to relate the story of the sufferings 
and persecutions that resulted among the French Protestants from 
the revocation of the Edi6t of Nantes. It is a beautiful story, told 
with a simplicity which may well be supposed to have marked the 
Huguenot chara6ter.” 

“ So life-like are the scenes described, that one unhesitatingly lends his confidence, 
and follows the little company of martyrs through all their sufferings from Papal 
cmelty in France, until they are safely landed on the shores of England. The story 
is one of intense interest, with all the added charm of novelty, from its quaint lan- 
guage and careful correspondence with the historical events of the time.” — Hudson 
Co. Republican. 

“The pictures of heroism, suffering, and endurance are true tt> history, and draw* 
with graphic power.”— Monthly Religious Magazine. 


Dodd & Mead' s Catalogue. 


THE SPANfSH BARBER. A Tale of the Bib.e in 
Spain. By the Author of <£ Mary Powell.” i6mo, 
illustrated $i 25 

This beautiful tale will attract unusual attention from its subject as well as the 
reputation of its accomplished author. The story turns on the recent Revolution ii 
Spain, opening the country to the Bible and religious toleration. Modem Spanish 
life is charmingly depicted, and the working of the recent changes strikingly 
illustrated in the varying fortunes of the Spanish Barber and his family. 

“ This little story is a narrative of the experience of a colporteur introducing the 
Bible in Spain at a period only a few years back. The author gives us no harrow- 
ing stories of the Inquisition, the rack, and the dungeon. The scene is laid princi- 
pally at Gibraltar. It will be read with deep interest by those who watch the pro- 
gress of Protestant Christianity.” — Chicago Commercial. 

P hilip Brantley’s life work and how 

He Found It. By M. E. M. i6mo, illustrated 1 15 

“ A story of the heart — simple, earnest, evangelical. It is written in the form of a 
daily diary, and recounts the experiences and struggles of a country boy who passed 
through college, on the way found Christ, and after sundry trials, which refined 
his Christian character, became pastor of a church in the Far West.” — S. S. Journal. 

“ The account of the way Philip Brantley was led, and the way in which he at last 
found his life work, and comfort and happiness in it, will be read with interest, and 
will teach the youth who read it profitable lessons.” — Evan. Repository. 

♦ 

U NCLE JOHN’S FLOWER GATHERERS. A Com- 
panion for the Woods and Fields. By Jane Gay 
Fuller. Beautifully illustrated with 9 engravings. i6mo, 
cloth extra I 5° 

“This is an excellent book to put into the hands of children. It contains a great 
deal of information about the common flowers of our woods and fields, and con- 
nects this information with religious instruction iti such a way as to leave a most 
happy impression of God’s goodness on the young heart, and to cultivate at once a 
love of nature and a love of God. This book is rendered attractive both by an in- 
genious story and by numerous well-executed and tasteful illustrations.” — S. S 
Titeui 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 

S IMMONS SCRIPTURE MANUAL. A phabettcally 

and Systematically arranged. Designed to facilitate the 
finding of Proof Texts. By Charles Simmons. i2mo. $i 75 
More than 50,000 copies of this work have been sold. 

A reference to the list of subje< 5 ts which the work contains will 
show that the author’s researches have been extensive, while a com- 
parison of the work with others of the same general character cannot 
fail to give it pre-eminence. While the track pursued is not new, it 
is more thorough and more easily followed than that marked out by 
any previous compiler known to myself. The work contains not 
merely the proof texts on the subje6t to which it refers, but, what 
appears to my own mind one of its excellences, the texts that illus- 
trate these subjects. Though the arrangement of the subjefts is 
alphabetical, in the illustration of the subje< 5 ts themselves, the author 
has observed that connexion between one truth and another which 
gives to each its proper place. — Dr. Spring’s Introduction. 

“ This is a rich, copious, well-sele<5ted, and well-arranged text-book, exhibiting the 
results of great labor, in bringing together numerous proof texts, stri<5tly allied in 
their meaning, on a very large number of subjects — so formed as to present in their 
beautiful symmetry the features of evangelical truth. It is justly regarded as the 
most valuable work of the kind ever published in our language, and we commend it 
to the attention of ministers, Sunday-school teachers, and all persons who desire the 
aid of a manual in acquiring the most important knowledge.” — Christian Observer, 
Philadelphia. 

“ It is incomparably superior to anything of the kind with which I am acquainted, 
and its extensive circulation and use cannot but have a happy influence. I have no 
doubt that the work will soon supersede every other of the kind, as I am clearly of 
the opinion that it should.” — Rev. Albert Barnes. 

“ The arrangement of the topics is so logical, and the citations from Scripture are 
so numerous, so emphatical, and in the main so pertinent, as to make the general 
impression of the Bible obvious even to the cursory reader.” — Rev. Dr. Park , An* 
dover Theo. Seminary. 

“ 1 consider your text-book to be remarkably suited to the object in view, and likely 
to be the book which will satisfy not only common people, but ministers, and all men 
©f logical mind and cultivated taste. It is my opinion that it will take the place of 
all other works of the kind, and that nothing else will be called for or attempted foi 
a great while to come.” — Rev. Leonard Woods , D.D. 

“ As a help in the sele<5tion of proof texts on almost any subject in the Bible, I 
know of nothing of equal value.” — Rev. Enoch Pond, D.D. 

“ It is far more copious and reliable than any work of the kind. A better help ii 
Jbe study of the Bible is not accessible.” — Congre Rationalist. 

“Tba work is the bes. of the kind within our knowledge.” — Neit> Englander ■ 


DODD & MEAD’S 


LATEST 

Juvenile and Sunday-School Books. 

762 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. 

T HE JUNO STORIES. A Series for Sunday-Schools. 
By Jacob Abbott. To be completed in 4 volumes 
Beautifully illustrated and bound in fancy cloth, new style. 

Per volume 1 $1 25 

1 st. Juno and Georgie. In April. 

2d. Mary Osborn. u 

3d. Juno on a Journey. * In September. 

4th. Hubert. “ 

Mr. Abbott, well known as one of the most successful writers of juvenile books in 
the country, has published nothing intended expressly for Sunday Schools in many 
years. This series, which is written in similar style to the famous Franconia 
Stories, is in the author’s best vein, and will, it is believed, do its part toward 
meeting the urgent demand for a higher class of Sunday-school literature. 

O LIVER WYNDHAM. A Historical Tale. By the 
Author of u Naomi.” i6mo, fancy cloth, new style. 

1 50 

An excellent and intensely interesting historical story by a well-known author. 
The scene is laid in the eventful period of the Great Plague and Fire in London, 
in 1665. A capital book for the older scholars 

T HE OFFICER’S CHILDREN. A Story of the Indian 
Mutiny. By the Wife of an Officer. i8mo, illustrated, 
fancy cloth, new style o 75 

A charming story founded on fact, and written by one who had a personal ex* 
perience of the scenes described. 

The story, yhile of intense interest, conveys incidei tally a correct idea of Life ia 

Lidia at the time of the great mutiny. 

» 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 

C hronicles of the schonberg-cotta family. 

i vol.-i2mo, $15° 

Those familiar with the life of Luther will remember Dame Ursula 
Cotta, in Eisenach, who, when he was a lad singing from door to door to 
support him at School, took him to her house and ever after befriended 
him. The author of this book, for the purpose of reproducing in a more 
familiar form the social life, the religion, and some of the chief historical 
events and personages of that momentous period, finds in the above fact 
a suggestion on which to improve. 

“ In this work we seem almost to meet the great men of the Reformation face to face, 
and to be actually present in the thrilling scenes in which they participated.” — Metho- 
dist. 

“ The family history which it contains, if read by itself, would be regarded as one of 
the most successful portraitures of domestic life that has ever been drawn, each charac- 
ter being delineated and preserved with striking distinctness, and some of the characters 
being such as the reader will love to linger over as he would over some beautiful por- 
trait drawn by a master’s pencil.” — New York Observer. 

“ The story from first to last is remarkable for its artlessness and tenderness, and 
it chains the reader’s attention to the close.” — Am. Theo. Review. 

T HE EARLY DAWN ; OR, Sketches of Christian Life in 
England in the Olden Time. By the author of the Schon- 
berg-Cotta Family. With introduction by Prof. H. B. Smith, D.D. 

i2mo, $150 

The Christian Life of England in the Olden Time is here depicted, 
through several centuries, from its earliest dawn, in its contrasted lights 
and shadows, down to “ the morning star of the Reformation.” The 
Druid is first introduced in converse with the Jew and the Christian. 
The Two Martyrs of Verulam fall within the period of the Roman dom- 
ination, full fifteen hundred years ago. The fortunes of an Anglo-Saxon 
Family are briefly sketched through three generations. The contests of 
the Saxon and the Norman, and their different traits, are vividly portray- 
ed in the time of the Crusades. 

“The various facts and legends of Christianity are told in this book in a style of ro- 
mantic fascination. It is an unusually entertaining and readable work.” — New York 
Evening Post. 

“The author carries us back into the midst of events and scenes, wakes up the dead 
actors and makes them alive again, and we see not the history, but the living men that 
made the history.” — Evangelical Repository. 

“ We do not know where to look for a book that combines such beauty of style, such 
charming simplicity and variety of expression, with such sweetness of spirit. It is full 
of beauty, and everywhere pervaded with a loving, catholic spirit.” — Hartford Press. 


D-odd 6 ° Mead's Catalogue. 


D iary of mrs. kitty trevylyan. a story of the 

Times of Whitefield and the Wesleys. By the author of 
the Schonberg-Cotta Family. With a Preface by the author for our edi- 
tion. i2mo, $i 50 

At the date the story opens the “mischievous fanatics,” Whitefield and 
Wesley, begin to disturb the parish with their plain preaching. Kitty veiy 
soon goes up to London to pay a visit to the family of her uncle, who is 
a dissenter, and there she meets those reformers, who are turning the king- 
dom upside down with their new doctrines. The main interest of the 
book is religious, yet the state of the country at that time, the habits of 
society, the dangers of travelling, and the faithful pictures of the dress 
and manners of that age, will interest all who are not attracted by the 
graver matters of the story. 

"Notwithstanding the immense popularity of the Schonberg-Cotta Chronicle, we 
should not be surprised if Mrs. Kitty Trevylyan completely rivals them in popular 
favor. All the good qualities that gained so much success for the writer’s previous 
books are found in this, while the subject undoubtedly offers superior advantages to 
those where the scene is laid in remote times or in foreign land. The family group 
in the old homestead, on the stormed-vexed shores of Cornwall, becomes, from the 
author’s skilful painting and fine perception of character, a reality from henceforth to 
her readers ; and when the heroine leaves it to gain the glimpses of the great world that 
form the historical portion of the book, she carries with her the good wishes of all.” — 
N. Y. Times. 

"The beauty of the ‘ Diary’ is its homelike simplicity, its delicate portraits, and pow- 
erful, because so perfectly natural, sketches of life and manners.” — Hartford Post. 

W INIFRED BERTRAM ; and the World she Lived in. By 
the author of the Schonberg-Cotta Family. 1 vol. i2mo, $1 75 

Winifred is a bright child, who very early in the naive way begins to 
be blase, having nothing to do but gratify her own childish desires. The 
lesson of the book is that one can only live happily and profitably by 
sympathy with others, and in exertion to benefit others. 

" George Eliot, whom we regard as the greatest female novelist of the age, never ex- 
ceeded the terseness and epigrammatic force of expression of some passages in Winifred 

Bertram The allegory of the expending and contracting chamber is one of 

the most exquisite things in modern literature.” — Round Table. 

"A charming and quickening story, as we might anticipate from the author.” — Con- 
gregationalist. 

"Delightful and charming are not properly descriptive of it, for while it is both, it is 
more than both ; it is of the kind of books that one cannot read without growing better,’' 
— Indianapolis State Journal. 


Dodd 6° Mead's Catalogue. 


T HE DRAYTONS AND THE DAVENANTS. A Story of the 
Civil Wars. By the author of the Schonberg-Cotta Faiyiily. 


$175 


I vol. i2mo, 


This worlc, the opening scene of which is in New England, is associated 
with a period of English history in the 17th century, involving political 
and religious questions in which Americans are deeply interested. In its 
vivid and truthful impersonations of character, its great historic interest, 
its inimitable pictures of domestic life, mingled throughout with an unaffect- 
ed tone of religious sentiment, the author has fully equalled in this volume 
her Cotta Family, which has delighted so many thousands. 

“ On the whole, we are inclined to assign to this a higher position and greater merit 
than to any of Mrs. Charles’ works.” — Independent. 

“If this work had preceded in its publication the Schonberg-Cotta Family, we are 
not sure that it would not have rivalled it in popular favor.” — New York Evangelist. 

“The quaint antique style of the volume gives it a strong flavor of those eventful 
times, while the tact and fidelity with which the prominent historical circumstances are 
interwoven with the fictitious incidents of the plot impart to it an air of naturalness 
hardly inferior to that of a cotemporary chronicle. With a curious instinct she seizes 
upon the heart of different epochs, incorporating it in her descriptions with equal faithful- 
ness to the truth of history and of human nature.” — New York Tribune. 


N BOTH SIDES OF THE SEA. A Story of the Common- 



V./ wealth and Restoration. Being a Sequel to “The Dray- 
tons and the Davenants.” By the author of The Schonberg-Cotta 
Family. 1 vol. 121110, - - - - - - - - $1 75 

Opening with the tragic scenes of the execution of Charles I., we have 
presented in the highly dramatic style of the author — the establishment 
of the Commonwealth under Cromwell, its brilliant career, the death of 
the Protector, the restoration of the Monarchy, and the forcible emigra- 
tion to America of prominent actors in its previous overthrow. 

“The house life, the public teaching, the political relations and partisanships of these 
times (1637 to 1691) are depicted with consummate power and impressiveness in this 
volume and the Draytons and the Davenants, to which is a sequel.” — Brooklyn Gazette. 

“This work will be found to be a vivid reproduction of the scenes of those stirring 
days which more than any other in profane history have an interest for us, and which 
all Americans need to understand.” — Christian Advocate. 

“The scenes of the period to which this volume refers are depicted with consummate 
skill and rare beauty, and with such perfect naturalness, that the reader almost forgets 
he is not in actual contact with the impressive realities.” — Albany Express. 

“ It has all the varied interests and the peculiar charm which attach to the author’s 
ideal and yet historic narratives that are now so familiar to the reading world. No 
writer of the present day has more deservedly won a place in the hearts of all who love 
the truth and who can appreciate that which is pure in sentiment and in domestic life.” 
— New York Observer. 


Juvenile and Sunday School Books, 


A Mens Stories for Young Americans . 4 vols* 

i8mo, illustrated, in sets. (Any volume sold separate- y.) . $2 oc 

Stories and Anecdotes 


of the Puritans . ... $0 50 

As it is a kind of reading delightful to 
the young, and as the anecdotes give a just 
and exalted view of the Puritan character, 
tve would commend the book to parents, as 
one of unusual value. It may be read by 
every one with great profit and interest.— 
N. Y. Evangelist 

The Example of Wash- 

ington. With Portrait . o 50 

“ A little volume of great value. The au- 
thor does not pretend to give the example 
of Washington in his entire life, but em- 
ploys the weight of his great name to arrest 
and fix the attention of the young upon 
some of the essential excellencies of char- 
ter that were so fully illustrated in that 
unequalled specimen of human greatness ; 
the prominent points in the work being the 
character of Washington as a religious man. 
The book should be in the hands of every 
youth in the land.” 


Fruits of the May 

Flower - $0 5c 

The volume contains an accurate and 
somewhat full account of the origin of the 
Plymouth Colony, and of its progress dnr- 
lng the first three years of its existence, 
lhe character and noble deeds of the Pil- 
grim F athers are thus clearly brought to 
view. 1 he fadts stated are drawn from 
original documents. — Preface. 

The Old Stone House; 

Or, the Patriot’s Fireside . o 50 

Under the guise of a familiar, pleasant 
tale of the Revolutionary era, Dr. Alden 
has here presented a condensed and most 
excellent compend of the elementary prin- 
ciples of the science of government, and 
our early political history. It strikes us as 
one of the most useful, as well as able and 
ingenious of the author’s many juvenile 
works, and will be a good book for the 
family, and not less for the school-room. — 
N. Y. Evangelist. 


The Fred, and Minnie Library . 5 vols. in 

sets. (Any volume sold separately.) $3 75 

Minnie Carlton. By 


Fred. Lawrence; or, 

The World College. By Mar- 
garet E. Teller. Illustrated, 
i8mo o 75 

A deeply interesting story of an Ameri- 
can youth devoting himself with a lofty 
cense of duty to the support of a depena- 
tnt mother and sister, and gaining a 
strength and manly independence of char- 
acter by the discipline he undergoes, as 
well as a cultivated mind, by a faithful and 
religious employment of his leisure hours. 
—Am. Presbyterian. 

The Deaf Shoemaker, 

and Other Stories. By Philip 
Barrett. Illustrated, i8mo o 75 

The autlor of ‘his charming little book 
understands what will interest children, 
and how to adapt his style and language to 
their taste and wants. We cordrPly re- 
commend it to a place in every Sabbath 
School and family library. — A dvocate and 
Guardian. 


Mary Belle Bartlett. A beauti- 
ful story lor girls. Illustrated, 
i8mo . o 80 

The subjedt of this narrative is the 
eldest daughter of a household, forced by 
the death of her mother to take charge of 
it. The pledge giveD *0 her dying mother 
to train the little one* V meet her in heav- 
en is conscientiously hnrilled, and the les- 
sons of her example, prudence, and piety, 
rewarded by the most cheering results, 
bringing light and joy to the household, 
will scarcely be read without creep and 
grateful emotion. — N. York Evangelist. 

The Russell Family. 

By Anna Hastings. Illustrated, 
i8mo . * o 75 

A very beautiful and instructive story 
from real life, illustrating the power of a 
Christian mother, and the sweet influences 
of the domestic circle . — New York « Ob- 
server. 


F fan k Forest. For Description, see page 6. 


Juvenile and Sunday School Books. 


Charlotte Elizabeths Works . 8 vols. 1811*0, 

illustrated, in sets - ... - ..$ 70 ? 

Charlotte Elizabeth's Works have become so universally known, and are so highly 
and deservedly appreciated in this country, that it has become almost superfluous to 
praise them. She thinks deeply and accurately, is a great analyst of the human heart, 
and withal clothes her ideas in most appropriate and eloquent language." Albany 
ArgUS. 

Separately as follows : 


Judah’s Lion . $085- 

Individuality of character is faithfully 
preserved, and every one is necessary to 
the plot. The reader will find in this book 
much information that he can only find 
elsewhere by very laborious research. 
Charlotte Elizabeth is a firm believer in 
the national restoration of the Jews to the 
possession of Palestine, but believes they 
will previously be converted to Christian- 
ity. We advise our friends not to take up 
this book until they can spare time for the 
perusal ; because, if they commence, it 
will require much self-denial to lay it down 
until it is fairly read through . — Christian 
A dvocate and Journal. 


Count Raymond of Tou- 
louse, and the Crusade against 
the Albigenses under Pope Inno- 
cent III o 85 

It is a striking, life-like picture of the 
sufferings of the Albigenses, mingling the 
facts of history with sketches of persona! 
character, and individual heroism, in a 
manner to excite an interest, and at the 
same time to instruct. It is a historical 
episode, replete with important lessons. — 
New York Evangelist. 


Conformity, and False- 

hood and Truth .... o 85 

We read this J.Le volume with great 
Mid unqualified satisfaction. We wish we 
could induce every professor of religion in 
our large cities, and indeed all who are in 
any way exposed to contact with the fashion- 
able world, to read it The author, in this 
tittle v.ork, fully sustains Ii 1 r reputation as 
a very accomplished and superior writer, 
and the stanch advocate of Evangelical 
principles, carried out and made mfluen- 
ial upon the whole life and conduct. — 
E/'is Recorder. 


Judaea Capta . $ 0 85 

‘ Judasa Capta,’ the last offering from the 
pen of this gifted and popular wnter, will be 
esteemed as one of her best works. It is a 
graphic narrative of the invasion of Judea 
bv the Roman legions under Vespasian and 
Titus, presenting affecting views of the des- 
olation of her towns and cities, by the 
ravages of iron-hearted, bloodthirsty sol- 
diers, and of the terrible catastrophe wit- 
nessed in the destruction of Jerusalem. 
Her occasional stritures on the history of 
the apostate Josephus, who evidently wrote 
to please his imperial masters, appear to 
have been well merited. — Christian Ob- 
server. 

The Deserter . 0 85 

The principal hero of the story is a 
young Irishman, who was led, through the 
influence of one of his comrades, to enlist 
in the British army, contrary to the earnest 
entreaties of his mother, and who went on 
from one step to another in the career of 
crime till he was finally shot as a deserter ; 
though not till after he had practically em- 
braced the Gospel. The account of the 
closing scene is one of the finest examples 
of pathetic description that we remember 
to have met with. — Daily Citizen. 

Personal Recollections, 

with Explanatory Notes and 3 
Memoir $0 85 

We doubt if the lives of many females 
are blended with more incidents and richer 
lessons of instruction and wisdom, than the 
life of Charlotte Elizabeth. It will be 
found as captivating as any romance, and 
will leave on the mind a lasting impression 
for good. — Albany SpeClaU <■. 

The Flower Garden. 

o 85 

A collection of deeply interesting sketch- 
es and tales, beaodfuUv illustrated utdef 
the similitude of flowers. 


JUVENILE AND SUNDAY SCHOOL BOOK?*. 


The Cottage Library . 6 vols. 1 8mo, in sets $ 5 25 

Separately as follows: 


Henry Willard ; or, The 

Value of Right Principles. By 
C. M. Trowbridge. Illustra- 
ted $0 85 

A choice book for boys, illustrating very 
happily the untold forms in which a youth 
may be assailed by temptation, and the 
safety of an open, frank, manly course of 
conduCt in all circumstances. The con- 
cluding chapter enforces impressively the 
great lesson, that the influence of the most 
trifling a< 5 t may extend onward and onward 
through time. Parents who place this vol- 
ume in the hands of their children will find 
the cost-money well invested. — Advocate 
and Guardian. 

Uncle Barnaby ; or, Re- 
collections of his Character and 
Opinions o 85 

The religion of the book is good, the 
morality excellent, and the mode of exhib- 
iting their important lessons can hardly be 
surpassed in anything calculated to make 
them attractive to the young, or successful 
in correcting anything bad in their habits 
or morals. 

Shadows and Sunshine; 

as illustrated in the History of 
Notable Characters. By Rev. 
Erskin Neal o 85 

A book in which various characters of 
distinction are made to teach, and from 
whose checkered experience much which 
is valuable may be deriv»d. We heartily 
Commend it. — Religious Herald. 


Sunday Sketches for 

Children. By a Father. Illus- 
trated $0 85 

On such subjects as the “ H dden Man- 
na and the White Stone “ The Earth 
without a Sea “ The Place for a Candle ;** 
“Enoch;” “The Rich Young Ruler,” 
etc. 

These are admirable sketches, natural- 
ly and strikingly drawn, and 'will be read 
by the children with pleasure and profit 
— Christian Chronicle. 


Glenarvon; or, Holidays 

at the Cottage. A beautiful 
Scotch story. Illustrated . o 85 

This is a delightful book. Its stories, 
drawn from Scottish life, are interspersed 
with interesting anecdotes and episodes, 
illustrating historical and scientific truths 
It conveys the best moral and religious 
lessons adapted to the youthful mind, and 
told in such a manner as to engage the at- 
tention —A m. and For. Ch. U nion. 

The Old Oak Chest and 

its Treasures. By Aunt Eliza- 
beth. A most attradlive volume 
of several hundred anecdotes 
and stories . . . . o 85 

A collection of more than two hundred 
striking incidents and anecdotes, illustra- 
tive of moral and religious truths. It is an 
excellent book for the family, and especial 
ly the young. — Christian Observer. 


The Wrongs of Women, 

By Charlotte Elizabeth. A new 
edition. Four parts in one, with 
portrait. jSmo, cl. ext. o jo 

j 

Embracing — x. Milliners and Dress- 
makers. 2. The Forsaken Home. 3. 
The Little Pin Headers. 4. The Lace 
Runners. An array of startling facts re- 
garding the working classes and their 
religious and social wrongs is presented in 
ill** uthor’s most interesting style. 


Frank Forest; or, The 

Life of an Orphan Boy. By 
David M. Stone. Illustrated, 
i8mo o 65 

f 

It inculcates the most impressive les- 
sons of virtue and religion, and the intense 
interest of the story will rivet the attention 
of the children ; thus securing a happy 
influence on their hearts . — Journal 
Commerce. 


BIBLE HELPS 


AND 

■SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEXT-BOOKS 

PUBLISHED BY 

DODD & MEAD 

(Successors to M. W. Dodd), 

762 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. 


C RUDEN’S COMPLETE CONCORDANCE TO THE 
HOLY SCRIPTURES ; or, A Dictionary and Alpha- 
betical Index to the Bible. By Alexander Cruden, M.A. 


By which, I. — Any verse in the Bible 
may be readily found by looking for any 
material word in the verse. To which is 
added — 

I I. — The significations of the principal 
words, by which their true meanings in 
Scriptures are shown. 

III. — An account of Jewish customs 
and ceremonies illustrative of many por- 
tions of the Sacred Record. 

One vol. royal 8 vo., cloth extra, 
Sheep, $3 5° J Half morocco, 


IV. — A Concordance to the Proper 
Names of the Bible, and their meaning 
in the original. 

V. — A Concordance to the Books called 
the Apocrypha. 

To which is appended an original life 
of the Author, illustrated with an accurate 
Portrait fircm a Steel Engraving. 

... #2 75 
4 5° 


This is the genuine and entire edition of Cruden’s great work — 
the only one embracing those features which Cruden himself and the 
Public, for more than a hundred years, have regarded as essential to 
its completeness and inestimable value. In its complete form it has 
ever been regarded as immeasurably superior to any other work of 
the kind. 

“Cruden’s Concordance, in its unabridged and complete state, is invaluable to 
the biblical student, and the abridgments which have been made of it furnish no 
idea of the thoroughness and fulness of the original and complete work.” — Rev. 
Thomas De Witt , D.D. 

“ It is a low view of such a book to consider it merely as an expedient for finding 
a certain verse. It is in reality a Bible Lexicon. As managed by Cruden, it is 
also an explanatory dictionary, and his definitions are, in every instance remem- 
beied by me, sound and evangelical.” — Rev. James IV. Alexander, D.D. 

“ The very interesting and useful analysis of the senses, in which the more impop 
tant words of Scripture are used, gives great value to the work.” — Rev. M. IV. 
Jacobus, D.D. 

“ Cruden’s Concordance, in its original state, I consider above all price to ttie 
student of the Scriptures.” — Rev. Francis Way laud, LL.D., President 0 / 
Brown University. 

“ We never recommend anyone to be satisfied until he is possessed of the full and 
complete work of Cruden. Let it be your very next investment in Bible Helps. 
It will pay you as you go along. How a teachef can get through his lessons without 
it, unless he is gifted with the marvellous memory of a Calvin or a Nathaniel West, 
we cannot see.” — S. S. Times. 

“We have ''fiten been surprised to find intelligent Christians who are daily 
Btndents c r the Divine Record, but v/ho had never had this volume. It ought to be 
in every household, where every Sabbath-school teacher and scholar and every reader 
could have access to it.” — New York Observer. 


Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 

o 


Q'lMMONS’ SCRIPTURE MANUAL. Alphabetically and 
Systematically arranged. Designed to facilitate the finding of 
Proof Texts. Py Charles Simmons. i2mo., . . . $i 75 

The texts are printed in full, thus saving the inconvenience of 
constant reference. The subje< 5 ts are alphabetically arranged with 
‘hil cross references, and an ample index is provided. 

" The work contains not merely the proof texts on the subject to which it refers, 
but, what appears to my own mind one of its excellences, the texts that illustrate 
these subjects. Though the arrangement of the subjects is alphabetical, in the illus- 
tration of the subjects themselves, the author has observed that connection between 
one truth and another which gives to each its proper place.” — Dr. Spring's Intro- 
duction. 

“ It is incomparably superior to anything of the kind with which I am acquainted, 
and its extensive circulation and use cannot but have a happy influence. I have no 
doubt that the work will soon supersede every other of the kind, as I am clearly of 
the opinion that it should.” — Rev. Albert Barnes. 

“ I consider your text-book to be remarkably suited to the objedt in view, and 
likely to be the Book which will satisfy not only common people, but ministers and 
all men of logical mind and cultivated taste. It is my opinion that it will take the 
place of all other works of the kind, and that nothing else will be called for or 
attempted for a great while to come.” — Rev. Leonard Woods , D.D. 

“As a help in the selection of proof *exts on almost any subject in the Bible, I 
know of nothing of equal value.” — Rev. Enoch Pond , D.D. 

“A standard work which, like Cruden’s Concordance, is not likely to be super- 
seded by anything better We cannot attempt to set forth all the valuable features 
of this manual. We only urge all Sunday-school teachers and private Christians 
to get and use it.” — S. S. Times. 

“ It is far more copious and reliable than any work of the kind. A better help in 
the study of the Bible is not accessible.” — Congregationalist. 

“ The work is the best of the kind within our knowledge.” — New EnglanJer. 

K ING’S QUESTIONS ON THE GOSPELS IN HAR- 
MONY, chronologically arranged in 189 separate lessons for 
Sunday Schools and Bible Classes. By Walter King, A.M. 


iSmo., - $0 40 

The Same, in 3 vols., each, 20 


This excellent question book was rewritten several times, and each 
successive revision tested by a< 51 ual use in several of the best Sun- 
day Schools in the country for the purpose of discovering any defefts 
or incorporating any improvements suggested by its pra< 5 hcal use. 
Though mainly designed for S. S. Bible classes, it has been introduced 
with great advantage in Day schools and Families. The arrange- 
ment is chronological, the harmony being upon the basis of the best 
expositors. Many valuable notes are given in the margin. The 
appendix contains a combined view of thirty of the most interesting 
scenes. Sectarian alius ons are avoided, suiting it to all deiomina- 
tions. 


Dodd Mead's Catalogue. 


T he sciences of nature versus the science of 

MAN. By Noah Porter, D.D., LL.D., President of Yale 
College. One vol. i6mo, $i oo 

“ President Porter attacks modern infidel science at the point of its mortal weakness.” 
— Christian Intelligencer. 

“A more suggestive or convincing essay it would be hard to find. We commend it 
particularly to the admirers of Mr. Herbert Spencer, that master of the art of imposing 
« xposition.” — A dvance. 

“A manly, eloquent, and able defence of time-honored doctrines.” — Philadelphia 
Age. 

T HE THEOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. A Hand- 
book for Bible Students. By J. J. Van Oosterzee, D.D., Pro- 
fessor of Theology in University of Utrecht. 121110, - - $i 75 

“The author of this volume is very generally regarded as the ablest living Dutch 
divine of the evangelical school. It may be safely said that every student of theology 
should have the book at hand, and also that it will be of great use to all intelligent lay- 
men interested in the study of the Sacred Scriptures.” — Prof. He?iry B. Smith’s In- 
troduction. 

“The Theology of the New Testament is a successful attempt to bring the study of 
Christian theology directly to the teachings of the New Testament text. Its points of 
excellence are its compactness and scientific method as a manual for instruction, its clear 
and thorough exegetical treatment of Scripture citations, its freedom from speculative 
theorizing, and its distinctively pronounced evangelical character. ” — Congregationalist. 

A COMPARATIVE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS. By James 
C. Moffatt, D.D., Professor of Church History in Princeton. 

“This work is especially to be commended for its completeness. It not only acquaints 
the reader with the features and claims of other religions, but it takes him through to the 
logical deduction of their witnesses to the essential elements of our present faith.” — New 
York Evening Mail. 

“We welcome Dr. Moffat’s book as a valuable contribution, from a valuable source, 
to a study which is becoming more important, and which is destined to form a part in 
the necessary theological culture of the clergy.” — Christian Witness &= Advocate. 

“This volume is a real contribution to the results that need to be gained. It present 
the ancient religions, not only in their contents, but in their real relations to a pure 
monotheism and the wants of the human soul.’’ — Dover Morning Star. 


Dodd Mead's Catalogue. 

P APERS FOR HOME READING. By Rev. John Hall, D.D. 
With portrait. One vol. i2mo, - - - - - $i 75 

“The tenderness and spirituality which have made him one of the most winning 0 } 
preachers do not forsake him when he takes up the pen, and his written, as well as his 
spoken words, like those of his Master, though in a humbler degree, are spirit and life. 
It is high but just praise to say that these Papers reveal Dr. Hall’s best characteristics 
of heart and mind.” — Indepe?ident. 

“This volume will be warmly welcomed by the thousands who have been delighted 
and instructed by the writings and preaching of this distinguished author. Its contents, 
which are of a highly popular, and at the same time practical nature, are characterized 
by the terse and pointed style, directness of purpose, keen insight, and ready humor 
which are peculiar to the writer.” — Herald and Presbyter. 

“ Of moral and religious literature for the family circle, no book has appeared of late 
that is likely to meet with a more favorable acceptance than this collection of essays by 
the Rev. John Hall, D.D. All the peculiarities and excellences of Dr. Hall’s pulpit 
ministrations may be found in these “ Papers,” opulence of illustration combined with 
simplicity of language, and reason - less lighted by fancy than warmed by fervor.”— 
New York Evening Post. 

T HE DAILY PRAYER-BOOK. For the use of Families, with 
additional Prayers for special occasions. By various contributors. 
Edited by John Stoughton, D.D. i2mo, bevelled boards, red 
edges, $15° 

The prayers in this volume were contributed to it by several of the 
most noted Nonconformist English preachers, among them Thomas Bin- 
ney, R. W. Dale, Robert Vaughan, and others. The book is fresh and 
of marked merit. 

L AMPS, PITCHERS, AND TRUMPETS; or, Lectures on the 
Vocation of the Preacher. By E. Paxton Hood, Lecturer in 
Spurgeon’s College. A new edition. Two vols. in one, i2mo, $1 75 

“There is a directness and freshness in the thoughts of the author, a versatility and 
perspicuity in his modes of expressing himself, that invest the work with very positive 
attractions for original thinkers. The work is homiletical, and yet not a treatise on 
homiletics. It aims mainly to teach pulpit styles by examples.”— Christian Advocate. 

“ It is the product of an active and original mind, well stored with reading, and not 
unwilling to attract notice by seeming paradox. It is fresh as well as vigorous.” 
Philadelphia American and Gazette. 

“No theological student, few Christians, but will find it intensely interesting as well 
as practically valuable. Besides lectures on pulpit belongings in general, monographs 
of celebrated preachers, analyses of their style, etc., are given. Frederick Robertson, 
Charles Spurgeon, Pusey, Manning, Newman, Tze Abb6 Lacordaire, and othex*s # ave 
included in the present series.” — S. S. Times. 





Dodd & Mead's Catalogue. 


P ulpit eloqufnce of the nineteenth 

CENTURY. Being supplementary to the History and 
Repository of Pulpit Eloquence (deceased divines) ; and 
containing Discourses of Eminent Living Ministers in 
Europe and America. Accompanied with Sketches Bio- 
graphical and Descriptive. By Henry C. Fish, D.D. 
With an.Introdudtory Essay by Prof. Edwards A. Park, 
D.D. One large volume, 8vo. Illustrated with seven 
large Portraits from steel. Cloth $4 00 

Nearly sixty of the most distinguished Preachers of the present 
day are here introduced, about forty of whom belong to foreign coun- 
tries. The Discourses have been almost uniformly prepared expressly 
for this work, or sele6ted and designated by their authors themselves. 
They are, therefore, no ordinary productions ; but will be esteemed 
worthy, it is believed, of being placed with the “ Masterpieces of 
Pulpit Eloquence ” of other ages. The materials of the Biographical 
Sketches have in all cases been derived from responsible sources. 

As indicative of the character of the work, it may be stated, that, 
under the German Pulpit, such men as Professors Tholuck, Julius 
Muller, Nitzsch, Drs. Krummacher and Hoffman, Court Preachers 
to the King of Prussia, will be found ; under the French Pulpit, Drs. 
J. H. Merle D’Aubign6, Gaussan, Malan, Grandpierre, and the cele- 
brated Adolphe Monod (deceased since the preparation of the work 
was commenced) ; under the English, Melville, and Noel, and Bunt- 
ing, and James, and the like ; and under the Scottish, Drs. Hamilton, 
Cummings, Buchanan, Guthrie, Duff, Candlish, and others. 

The American Pulpit is represented by eminent men in each Evan- 
gelical denomination, sele6ted with great care, and after wide consul- 
tation. Most of the Discourses in this department appear in print 
now for the first time. 

“ The biographical sketches are compiled with care, and, along with an outline 
of the history of each individual named, contain brief critical discussions of theii 
merits as preachers and as divines. These criticisms are, so far as we can detei mine, 
just and discriminating. Altogether, this volume, like its predecessors, is a highly 
valuable and acceptable contribution to our religious literature, and will be an acr 
quisition to the library of any reading man, whether he be a minister or layman,"-* 
Christian Times. * 



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